Everything In Its Time
by Clarry
Summary: Logan needs a break from Kendall and James and takes a trip to the past.  What he finds is that the more things change, the more they stay the same, and that he had everything he ever wanted right in front of him.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** Anyone reading this knows that Nickelodeon owns the rights to Big Time Rush, right? I just like to play chess with the boys, moving them around as I see fit.

So one night I was at the mall and heard a song that sounded like something out of a 50's diner. I suddenly had a vision of Kendall and James as rival gang leaders and it wouldn't leave me alone. The final product is quite a bit different than my original vision, but it was inspired by both _Grease_ and _Back to the Future_, two fabulous movies that take me back to my childhood because I have such great memories of watching them with friends and family. If you haven't seen them, you really should.

Dedication on this one goes to **PromiseMeTheStars **because she is such a cheerleader and kept pushing me to continue it after I'd decided to give up on it. She's still bugging me with "Did you write anymore of your story? :D" **Aranelle** did the same thing, and I love them both for encouraging me when I thought this story had no place to go. Turns out it had two different places to go, but at least everyone will end up happy. I think. Because they always do in my world.

**Gleechild** gave me the push to start this in the first place. **Aranelle** made a pact with me—we agreed that if she'd write her Kendall/James gangster fic, I'd write this one. She made good on her end of the bargain, so I had to follow through. AND YOU SHOULD ALL GO READ HER FIC BECAUSE I LOVE IT AND I LOVE HER AND IT'S JUST SO GOOD IT MADE ME CRY. It's titled "Call Me a Sinner, Call Me a Saint."

I don't even know why I'm still rambling here. I'll shut up now. But thank you for reading and I hope you like it!

**XOXOXOXOXO**

The arguing had gotten out of hand. At first it was great to have Kendall back in their midst, almost like old times. Jo left and Kendall was a wreck, so the boys pulled together and tried to rescue him from his misery, and eventually it worked. The week after that was fun, the four of them hanging out and raising hell like they did back in Minnesota, like they did in Hollywood too, before Jo came along and took up all of Kendall's spare time.

Their dynamic had shifted when Kendall started dating. People were feeling sorry for Logan, but he actually fared better than Carlos because he and James became closer and spent all their time together. Who knows why that happened or what they even had in common, but he and James grew to share an unbreakable bond of friendship that Logan wouldn't give up for anything-not even for Kendall.

And that seemed to be the problem. Kendall was used to the old way of things. He had a blast when it was the foursome, but when Carlos was busy and it was just Logan, James, and him hanging out, Kendall got pissy. Logan finally figured out it was because he and James had a lot of inside jokes, shared a lot of memories that Kendall was not a part of, and Kendall felt...left out? Ignored? Maybe both.

It only got worse when Logan brought it to James' attention. He asked James to maybe cut out all the references to things Kendall wasn't a part of, to not make Logan laugh so hard or be so..._James_. Rather than comply with Logan's request, James refused and said "Kendall's a big boy, he can handle it. It's his own fault for leaving us in the first place and spending all that time with Jo."

So instead of making things better, James made them worse. He insisted on sitting in the middle when they were out somewhere, basically hogging Logan for himself. He purposely brought up events in the past that Kendall had missed out on. He even got more touchy, arm around Logan's shoulders almost constantly when Kendall was with them, and more recently around Logan's waist. When they all sat around watching T.V., James found a way to lean on him, sometimes with a head on his shoulder or a hand on his leg.

The worst part of all of this is that Logan found himself liking it. A lot. Every touch from James sent his heart racing. There had been feelings rolling around under the surface that Logan hadn't explored yet, and James' attention was bringing them to the forefront in a way he wasn't sure he was ready to deal with-though he might have been if he thought James felt the same. It was bad because he wanted more of it, but he knew James was doing it all for show, in an attempt to piss Kendall off. It was like James was laying claim without actually wanting it, and it wasn't fair. It was screwing with Logan's head, and more importantly, his heart.

And he was tired of it.

So more and more Logan had been disappearing, turning down offers to go places with the guys. He actually asked James to go to the movies with him at one point, _just _James, because he wanted to test him; he needed to know if James would still be so touchy and attentive if Kendall wasn't around. The second Kendall found out about it, though (thanks to Carlos), Kendall insisted on tagging along and James started that..._thing_ he does. The smug face, the expression that dared Kendall to say something about the way he was hogging Logan, the ridiculous smirk he wore whenever Kendall looked their way. So a few minutes before they were due to leave, Logan faked a stomachache and suggested the boys go without him. Immediately they both wanted to stay home and take care of him, so when they were in the kitchen he sneaked out and searched for a place to be alone.

He ended up in the basement. It was peaceful, quiet, and other than the occasional serviceman or Buddha Bob coming down to his tiny corner office, he was left alone with his thoughts. He received text after text from both James and Kendall, and later Carlos, asking where he was and if he was okay. Finally he answered that he was fine and needed some time alone. After that James was the only one who kept texting him, asking where he was and if he could come talk to him, and even calling him a few times, but Logan had had enough.

Since that day Logan had spent more and more time in the basement, reading books or playing video games or doing anything that got him away from the ridiculous arguing that started after that faked stomachache. It seemed that Kendall and James blamed each other for Logan's need to be alone, so of course the fighting over him got even worse.

One good thing came out of all of it, though. Logan built a time machine.

He spied an old phone booth shoved up against a wall of the basement and it made him think of Harry Potter, Doctor Who, and Bill and Ted all at once. After staring at the stupid thing for a couple of days with his brain churning, Logan set to work in earnest, reading everything he could about time travel and the science behind it. It became an obsession for a week, and then one day it was like a lightbulb going on over his head. He got it. He knew exactly how to make it happen. Scientists had been trying for centuries to figure it out; it took Logan a week once he put his mind to it. It wouldn't be easy, but Logan knew exactly how to build a working time machine.

So he did. For a month he was down in that basement every day, squeezing time in wherever he could between rehearsals and recording and performances. School was out for the summer, so there was nothing to worry about on that score. Everyone asked where he kept disappearing to, but he kept his mouth shut about it and begged Buddha Bob to do the same after being seen in the basement repeatedly. He had the parts delivered to Buddha Bob as well, and in about six weeks Logan had what he felt would be a real live working time machine.

What he hasn't had yet is the guts to try it out. He knows it's going to change everything—the band first and foremost, because he's going to be famous on his own, his name known all over the world once he goes public with this. It excites him, thrills him to think about it, to know he did this all on his own, and the praise he will receive...at least a Nobel prize. All he ever wanted to be was a doctor, but fame in the world of science isn't too shabby, either.

Part of him is afraid to do this, though, because he knows it's going to break up the band. How could it not? He's going to be hounded for interviews and appearances and...well, basically all the things Gustavo wants for Big Time Rush, only he'll be doing it alone. He'll be ruining James' dream at the same time, because the band is finally getting somewhere. That's what's holding him back, the idea that when this breaks, the band will be no more—unless they replace him, which would be easy; there's been talk of replacing Logan from day one.

And that hurts. Not so much that he'd be replaced in the band, but that someone else would be part of the friendship that means everything to him. He's always known they'd all grow up and go their separate ways someday, and it's something he dreads. Secretly he loves being the one they need when they're in trouble. True, it's Kendall that gets them out of most jams, but the first thing Kendall does in those situations is ask Logan for "options." And when Kendall decides on a game plan, they each have their role to play, and it just doesn't work without the four of them. But it might work if there was somebody new to take his place, and he's not sure he's ready to give up his place just yet.

And then there's James. What exactly is going on with James? James is worried about him, Logan knows that much, but so is Kendall, and there's no way Kendall's feelings are more than friendship. That's probably all it is with James, too, and Logan needs to let that go. It's just...they were on the verge of something. He felt it, they were right there heading into something that might be everything Logan's ever wanted without even realizing it, and then Jo left and everything changed again. It did cause James to be more attentive, but for what reason? Logan misses the nights spent alone with James on the couch, playing video games or watching TV or surfing the net; he wasn't quite as touchy then, but at least Logan knew he was there because he wanted to be—not because he was trying to make Kendall jealous. Somewhere the focus shifted from him to Kendall, and in Kendall's case from him to James, and now it's all about making the other suffer. Carlos is hardly ever around anymore, having finally found a girlfriend. Katie and Mrs. Knight keep finding reasons to be out when Carlos isn't there, and Logan knows it's because of the constant animosity between James and Kendall.

But is he really ready to lose all of it? To give up any chance of something happening with James? Once he becomes famous in his own right, James will resent him. He would still be a friend, still be there in Logan's life (hopefully), but he would resent Logan having what he's always wanted.

All of these thoughts are spinning in his head as he makes his way toward the kitchen for breakfast, wondering if there's any of his favorite cereal left. James' voice floats to him from the living room, and when he hears it he halts. James and Kendall are arguing yet again, and it's not even ten o'clock in the morning.

"My fault? How is it my fault?"

"You're being too clingy with him!" Kendall answers. "It's no wonder he's never around anymore, he's afraid you're going to smother him. I'd disappear all the time, too."

"He's never complained to me about it bothering him," James replies smugly.

"Of course not, he's not gonna say it to your face, he doesn't want to hurt your feelings. Whatever's going on with you, he wants no part of it."

"Oh, really? He told you that?"

"He doesn't have to. I'm his best friend, I know him better than anyone."

"Actually, Kendall, _I'm_ his best friend now. And that's the problem here, you're jealous."

"I am not jealous!"

"You so are! And it's totally your fault because you stopped hanging around with us, so we got close and it turns out we make a pretty good team."

Kendall rolls his eyes. "So what? I'm not allowed to have a girlfriend?"

"I don't care what you do. But Logan's my best friend now and you're not changing that, so you might as well give up."

_It's not a contest. They're being ridiculous. _Logan starts walking again, almost out of the hallway when Kendall's next words make him freeze.

"Well, it makes things easier that you don't care what I do, because I'm moving back to Minnesota."

James is just as surprised as Logan. "You're what?"

"I'm going home. And I'm taking Logan with me."

Logan watches James' face drain of color. "You're not taking Logan anywhere."

"Sorry, James. I am. He's not happy here. He never wanted this, it was all for you and your dream. Now we're famous enough that you can have your dream on your own, get some sort of solo career going. I've already talked to Gustavo about it, and he's not happy but he says he can make it work."

"You...you're breaking up the band?"

"What band? All we do is fight anymore. Carlos is wrapped up in his girlfriend, Logan keeps disappearing to who knows where whenever he needs space from you-"

"From _you_, you mean."

"No, from you. Which is why I know he'll be happier in Minnesota, following his own dream of being a doctor."

"Kendall, Logan isn't going anywhere."

"I'm afraid he is. I'm sorry, James, but it's your fault it got to this point. You kept pushing him too hard for something he didn't want, and he's uncomfortable around you now."

"That's not true, I would know if he was upset with me."

"No, you wouldn't. You're blind when it comes to that."

"Your mom wouldn't agree to this. They all made a pact that she would watch over us out here; she's not leaving me or Carlos."

"We've already talked it over. Carlos' mom is willing to come out here and take her place. Katie will be pissed, but it's not about her. It's about Logan."

"And about you. Because all you want to do is play hockey."

"Is that wrong? I don't even like it out here anymore."

"Oh, since when? You were fine when you had Jo."

"And now I don't. I'm not fine, I'm miserable, and so is Logan. We're going home, James. I'm sorry."

"Logan...agreed to this?"

"He will when I talk to him. We both know that, James."

This is too much. It's just too much. Kendall's decided to take Logan home? Logan's confused about a lot of things right now, but one thing he does know is he's not going anywhere that James isn't. He steps forward to have his say but the look on James' face stops him yet again. James is close to tears, and it stuns Logan; maybe there was more to James' actions than a desire to make Kendall suffer.

"Oh, you're here! I thought you went to your secret hiding place already." Kendall bites his lip, obviously wondering how much Logan heard of that.

James looks over with wide eyes, embarrassed. He glares at Kendall, then walks past Logan.

"James, wait!" When he puts a hand on James' arm to stop him, James shakes it off angrily and keeps going until they hear his bedroom door slam.

"What the hell are you doing?" Logan asks Kendall.

"Trying to help you. You're miserable here."

"Because you two never stop fighting! I'm sick of it!"

"I know, and I'm sorry, but things will be better once we get back home to Minnesota. We can live normal lives again."

"Kendall, I'm not going anywhere. Not without James and Carlos."

"Yes, you are. I know the idea seems hard right now, but once you think about it you'll realize I'm right. James is driving you crazy, isn't he?"

_Not the way you think he is._ "You really think you can make my decisions for me?"

"No, but I know you'll see it my way once you give it more thought."

"I'm done talking to you right now." Logan rushes down the hall and bangs on James' door. When there's no answer, he tries again. "James, open the door. It's me."

"Go away! Go live your happy life with your best friend!"

"You're being ridiculous. Open the door."

"Leave me alone!"

"James, please! Let me talk to you."

"Just go away."

"It's not like Kendall says!"

"Whatever. I don't even care if you go. Just leave me alone."

_Oh. Wow. You don't even care. _That hurts more deeply than Logan ever could've imagined, and he steps back.

"Logan-" Kendall starts.

Logan holds up a hand. "Not now. Don't even think about talking to me right now."

_It's time._ What was holding him back is the fear of breaking up the friendship, but now it looks like that's no longer a worry at all. It's going to happen whether he uses that damn machine or not. Today is a good day to test it out, to get away from everyone.

"Dude, just listen-"

"No. You listen. I'm going to be gone all day, I won't be answering texts or calls and I'm not telling you where I'm going, so don't even ask. I should be home tonight sometime." _Hopefully._

"Logan, you can't keep doing this. Just disappearing like this. We worry about you, we hate not knowing where you are and even Mom is starting to grill me about it. Is there some girl we don't know about? That would make sense, at least."

"And you say James is blind?" Shaking his head, Logan turns his back on Kendall and walks toward their bedroom.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just let me be for a while, okay?" Logan's mind is already on what he'll need for the trip. He's been storing things in a drawer for the past week, getting ready for this very moment. He strips off his t-shirt and pulls on a plaid button-down. The jeans should be okay, no one's going to look too closely at them. Same with his boxers. He pulls out a new pair of tennis shoes that were a common style back in the 1950's and slips them on. The watch. Hmm. He'll have to hide it in his pocket.

"Dude...think about Minnesota. I think we'd be happier back home."

"I think I'm going to be happy wherever James is. And that's something you need to accept." Logan pockets a small flashlight and his phone charger, then grabs a light jacket that will blend in pretty well.

After a long silence, Kendall finally speaks. "Are you saying you're into James? Like _that?_"

Logan runs it through his head. Is there anything else he'll need? Maybe a pen and a notebook, in case he has to do rapid calculations and his phone doesn't work.

"Logan?"

"I'm saying I don't know. But...maybe. I think...yeah. Maybe. Look, I gotta go. It's almost ten o'clock, I'm wasting time."

"Where are you going?"

"Not telling you. But..." Logan suddenly pulls Kendall in for a hug.

Kendall hugs him back. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"A lot on my mind. Have you seen Katie?" Logan steps back and looks around as if she'll suddenly appear.

"She's down at the pool."

"Okay, I gotta go. Do me a favor, though? Make sure James is okay. He won't talk to me right now, and I know he's pissed at you, but once he calms down he'll probably talk to you. Don't tell him what I said, though. I'm pretty sure his feelings for me aren't like that."

"Fine, just...Logan, what's going on? You've been acting weird for weeks now."

"I'll tell you everything tonight, okay? Promise. Just take care of James until then. Carlos is gone?"

"Yeah, he met his girl for breakfast. When will you be home?"

"Sometime tonight. Wait, there's a key! For their room." Logan rushes out to the kitchen and digs in a drawer until he comes up with a ring of keys. He finds the one he thinks is for the room James and Carlos share. "Let me talk to him alone."

"Fine."

Logan unlocks the door to find James sleeping on his bed. The trail of tear tracks on his cheeks breaks Logan's heart. He sits down gently on the edge of the bed and runs a hand over James' hair before leaning down to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll be back," he whispers. "Promise."

James stirs slightly but doesn't open his eyes.

"We'll talk tonight. Clear everything up. And then you might actually _want_ me to move to Minnesota." The thought makes him sad, the idea that James might end up wishing he wasn't here because things would be awkward.

Nothing from James. Logan sighs and squeezes his shoulder, then stands up.

Three minutes later he's down at the pool looking for Katie. He pulls her aside to a deserted corner. "I built a time machine and I'm going to test it out right now. If I don't make it back for some reason, I wanted someone to know."

After taking a second to process what Logan said, Katie nods. "Can I come?"

"No, I need you here to tell everyone what happened in case I don't come back tonight."

"Yeah, you could die."

Though Logan has already considered that possibility, it still shakes him up to hear it put so baldly. "Right. So if I'm not back by tomorrow morning, tell your mom what happened."

"Where are you going? Or...when?"

"The '50's. Not too crazy, but far enough back to say I really did it."

"Okay, just remember what happened in _Back to the Future._"

"What happened in _Back to the Future?_"

"He changed the past and almost erased himself from existence. Don't mess with your parents. Or should I say, your grandparents. And don't mess with mine, either!"

"Deal." Logan hugs Katie tight. "And if uh...anything does happen? Take care of James for me."

Katie grins. "Deal. Now go make history!"

He's terrified, but more than that he's terribly excited. He triple-checks everything, going over the science in his head a few more times before stepping inside the machine and closing the doors. One last look at the basement around him, and then he's gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:** Anyone reading this knows that Nickelodeon owns the rights to Big Time Rush, right? I just like to play chess with the boys, moving them around as I see fit.

So one night I was at the mall and heard a song that sounded like something out of a 50's diner. I suddenly had a vision of Kendall and James as rival gang leaders and it wouldn't leave me alone. The final product is quite a bit different than my original vision, but it was inspired by both _Grease_ and _Back to the Future_, two fabulous movies that take me back to my childhood because I have such great memories of watching them with friends and family. If you haven't seen them, you really should.

Dedication on this one goes to **PromiseMeTheStars **because she is such a cheerleader and kept pushing me to continue it after I'd decided to give up on it. She's still bugging me with "Did you write anymore of your story? :D" **Aranelle** did the same thing, and I love them both for encouraging me when I thought this story had no place to go. Turns out it had two different places to go, but at least everyone will end up happy. I think. Because they always do in my world.

**Gleechild** gave me the push to start this in the first place. **Aranelle** made a pact with me—we agreed that if she'd write her Kendall/James gangster fic, I'd write this one. She made good on her end of the bargain, so I had to follow through. AND YOU SHOULD ALL GO READ HER FIC BECAUSE I LOVE IT AND I LOVE HER AND IT'S JUST SO GOOD IT MADE ME CRY. It's titled "Call Me a Sinner, Call Me a Saint."

I don't even know why I'm still rambling here. I'll shut up now. But thank you for reading and I hope you like it!

**XOXOXOXOXO**

Taking a deep breath first, Logan opens the folding doors of the phone booth and steps out. It's dark but quiet. Grateful for the flashlight he dropped in his pocket, even more grateful it still works after shooting through time (at least he thinks he did; it wasn't pitch black before), Logan makes his way slowly through the basement.

And yes, there are differences. There isn't any furniture tucked away in deep corners, at least not that he can see. There isn't even a tiny office. He's assuming the stairs are in the same place, though, and gets lucky in that. As he walks across the upper floor, he's surprised to find the place dusty and deserted.

And...a bank? Office building? It's certainly not a hotel. The entire setup is different. Logan vaguely remembers reading that the Palm Woods Hotel was built in the late '50's. He'd aimed for 1959 but possibly he'd undershot that. Or maybe it hadn't worked at all.

Logan finds the entrance but it's locked-and not just locked, the doors are chained shut. This can't be good. He manages to work one of the nearby office windows open and squeezes through with a sigh of relief. It would've sucked to be stuck inside a building after such a monumental trip, but he could always turn around and go "home" if need be.

Home. What a joke. Two of his best friends are barely speaking there, one of them planning his life without consulting him, the other...well, it's a competition to him. The third best friend makes himself scarce, and Logan doesn't blame him.

So okay. A day away to clear his head. Maybe a meal at a diner with a real jukebox, a walk around Hollywood to see how much has changed. Who knows, maybe after a day away, he'll be relieved to be back in a place with cell phones and Internet.

"Hey!"

Logan ignores it at first, keeping his head down. Best not to call attention to himself.

"Hey! Man, you gotta get out of there! Oh no, oh my gosh, run!"

Logan stops walking, eyes wide as he finally takes in his surroundings. Nothing too odd, except there's a chain-link fence between him and the sidewalk. There's a blond guy suddenly running toward him-Kendall? That can't be Kendall- and he spins around and lets out a yelp. There's a wrecking ball moving into place to swing into the very building he just walked out of.

The blond is already over the fence and rushing toward Logan. "Hurry, come on!"

And yes, it is indeed Kendall, though Logan doesn't know how that's possible. Maybe it's Kendall's dad, but no; he wouldn't have been alive in the '50's either. And he wouldn't have been in California, right?

And maybe he should worry about this later, when there isn't a wrecking ball in his immediate future.

"Come on!"

Kendall-guy drags him toward the fence and Logan goes, hopping the fence when Kendall urges him to go first. Kendall follows quickly and they rush across the street, Logan being pulled by the arm.

"What were you thinking? It's chained off for a reason."

"I know, I just..." Logan spins around as it hits him. The time machine. "Shit! No no no I have to go back!"

"Are you crazy? You can't, it's-"

"You don't understand, I have to-"

"You can't!"

Kendall-guy is holding him back, and this guy must play hockey too, because he's strong. "You don't-let me-nononononoNOOOOOO!"

There goes the wrecking ball, taking out a huge chunk of the building.

"It's not too late! I can still-"

"Stop! You're not going near that building! You could've been killed, do you have a death wish?"

Logan watches the ball strike the building again, panic rising. "I have to get home, I have to get home, no no no no!"

"Hey, calm down, I'll get you home. Just calm down, buddy."

"You don't understand, I can't-it's-oh God, what am I gonna do?" Logan falls to his knees, hands over his face. "What do I do now?"

"It's okay, whatever it is, we'll figure it out. Why don't we go into the diner and have some milk, okay?"

Logan blinks up at the guy. "Milk?"

"Yeah, it always calms me down. Nothing like a cold glass of milk. I'm Kendall, by the way."

"I'm lactose-intolerant," Logan mumbles as Kendall pulls him up.

"That's..." Kendall frowns. "What is that, Russian or something?"

"Huh? Oh no, it's...I'm Logan. My name is Logan. But I don't drink milk. Unless it's soy."

"Soy? Um. Still, come in and sit down. I'll buy you a soda."

Kendall walks ahead of him and Logan studies him, curious even through his mental breakdown. It's definitely Kendall, even the same name of course. His hair is combed over to the side and slicked down. He's wearing white pants, a red polo shirt, and a light sweater that makes Logan think of phrases like "sock hop" and "going steady." Yeah, he definitely made it, but how the hell does he get back?

Kendall leads him to a booth but before they can sit down, a young girl is running up to them. She's wearing an actual poodle skirt and her hair is tied back with a scarf, and Logan's eyes bug out at seeing Katie dressed so feminine.

"Kendall, where have you been? Mom said I had to be home an hour ago, she's gonna be so mad!"

"I'm sorry, I got stuck talking to coach after practice. Here, go call Mom and tell her we'll be home soon." Kendall tosses Katie a nickel and she rushes toward the back of the store, where Logan assumes there's a phone booth. Probably restrooms too, and he could use some time alone to process this. What the hell is he going to do?

"Look, I gotta walk my baby sister home. Would you mind waiting here for a while? I shouldn't be more than a half hour."

Panic rises in Logan. As badly as he wants to be alone, he's terrified in this strange place and Kendall always makes him feel safe, like everything will work out.

"I'll come back for you, I promise. You look like you really need a friend right now."

That's true enough. He'll need someone he can talk to when he has questions. And what will he do tonight? What will he do every night, since it looks like he's stuck here, at least until he figures out what to do. Maybe he can build a new time machine, but it's going to be ten times as hard without the technology he's used to.

"Hey. Logan, buddy, you okay?" Kendall lifts a hand to squeeze his shoulder. "We'll get you home, okay? Here." After pulling out a five-dollar bill, Kendall passes it to Logan. "Get something to drink. Relax. I'll be back soon."

"Okay. Um, where's the restroom?"

"In the back. Don't leave."

"I won't. Thanks."

The smile Logan receives is such a Kendall smile that he immediately feels more calm; this is Kendall, and no matter what decade they're in, Kendall always has a plan.

"Come on, Katie, quit looking at the dolls!"

"I'm looking at the army guys, you dork!"

"We have to go so I can get back here. This is Logan."

Katie scrutinizes him as she approaches. "Hi."

"Hello."

"Logan's not from around here."

Katie nods slowly. "Yeah, I sense that. Nice to meet you."

"You, too." Logan smiles, thinking of his Katie and how she's going to think he died. And James. Oh no, what would happen to James?

_I have to get home. Have to get back to James, he's going to be lost without me, romantic feelings or no._

"I'll be right back. Relax, Logan. Don't leave."

"I told you, I won't."

"Come on." Hand on her shoulder, Kendall leads Katie out of the building.

Logan rushes to the restroom, closes himself in a stall, and pukes.

* * *

><p>Logan is down on his knees when a voice floats to him.<p>

"Hey, you okay in there? Need any help or medicine or anything?"

That voice. It sounds like James. Could he really be so lucky? If there's a Kendall and a Katie, it makes sense there'd be a James, too. Maybe he hadn't gone back in time, but is lying in the basement of the Palm Woods knocked out cold. Or dead. Dreaming all of this.

"I'm fine. Hang on, okay? Might need...something."_ Just don't leave._

Logan flushes the toilet and wipes his mouth with toilet paper before standing up. He takes a deep breath, having no idea what he's going to say or what James might look like, but he opens the door and almost faints with relief.

_James._ It's definitely his James standing there, hair swept back off his forehead and with a look of concern on that beautiful face. He's wearing white from head to toe, and when Logan looks closer he sees there's an apron over his button-down shirt. "You work here?" he blurts out before his brain can stop him.

James' eyes widen in fear, which makes no sense. "Just filling in for my uncle today. For a few hours. Do you go to Hollywood High? I've never seen you before."

"No, I'm from out of town."

"Oh." Relief has James sighing. "But are you okay? I heard you getting sick."

"I'll be fine. Upset stomach. May I...?"

When Logan gestures toward the sink, James moves out of the way. "Of course! Can I get you anything? It's on the house."

Logan rinses out his mouth and washes his hands, drying them on a towel-like thing that's probably going to leave more germs on him than he had in the first place. "I'll be out in a minute for a soda. You gonna be there?"

"Yeah, break's over. I'm James."

With a smile, Logan holds out his hand. "Logan. Really good to meet you."

James smiles back, allowing Logan to hold his hand a tad longer than necessary. "So you don't need anything for your stomach?"

"No, but thanks. I'd love a newspaper, though."

"Sure, right out front. Come on." James holds the door open and they step out into the store, Logan letting him lead. He takes a stool at the counter while James goes behind it, then James slides a newspaper across the counter toward him. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Logan grins at James, just so happy to see that face and hear that voice in a place that feels so foreign.

James returns the huge smile, blushing some. "I'm gonna get you a Pepsi."

"That'll work. Thanks."

"Anytime."

And now they're grinning like idiots at each other. Logan has the strongest urge to pull James over the counter and kiss him senseless, but he fights it off-barely. James turns away to get his drink and Logan just watches him for a few seconds, suddenly so homesick for his James he feels tears threaten. He wants that back, the times before Kendall returned to their fold, when they would cuddle on the couch and laugh together, just the two of them. If he ever makes it home, he won't hesitate to tell James his feelings. Even if James hates him for it, Logan knows he won't be able to hide it anymore.

When James glances over Logan cuts his eyes to the paper, finding the date quickly. September 14th, 1958. Okay, unless he's dreaming, this actually worked. "It's pretty dead in here. Is it always like this on Sunday?"

"Yeah. Most families stay home, you know? We're one of the few pharmacies in the world open on a Sunday."

Logan nods. "How late are you working?"

After setting down a glass of ice and an open bottle of Pepsi, James smirks, but he's blushing again. "Not too much longer. Why do you ask?"

"I don't really know." And what is he thinking? Is he planning to whisk James off for a night of fun? Absolutely not. He has more important things to worry about.

James leans forward onto the counter as Logan sips his drink, cheeks a little red. "Well, if you don't have anything planned this afternoon, I've got my car and-"

He stops mid-sentence, eyes narrowing at something behind Logan. When Logan spins around he sees Kendall approaching. He turns back to James but there's no one there, only a swinging door moving back and forth that must lead into a backroom.

"Hey buddy, sorry about that. You doing better?" Kendall claps a hand on his back and takes the stool next to him.

"Um, a little, I guess. Here's your money. He didn't make me pay."

"No, you keep that. You might need it. Where's Lou?"

"Lou?"

"The guy who works the counter. He gave you the soda, I'm assuming?"

"Uh, no. I think it was his nephew who did."

Kendall's eyes widen in surprise. "James is here?"

Logan nods. "You know him?"

"We see each other around school. You don't want to talk to him, he's an ass."

"Really? Seemed pretty nice."

With a frown, Kendall asked, "Really? That must not be James, then. He's a total jerk."

Logan shakes his head; even in the past they don't get along? It's crazy, they were always such good buddies. Of course they argued at times, both being headstrong, but they loved each other like brothers until Logan became a pawn between them.

"Well, it was James and he was nice. Maybe you just never gave him a chance."

"Trust me. I gave him plenty of chances. He's beyond my help now."

Logan is about to ask more but Kendall changes the subject. "So where are you from and where are you going?"

Sipping more soda to buy time, Logan's mind races. What should he say? What he needs most is time alone to think, time to plan and figure this out. What the hell is he going to do? "I don't like to talk about it," he finally answers.

"Okay, but you were really upset. Maybe it'll help to talk about it."

The truth is that Logan needs Kendall, needs a "guide" of sorts to help him navigate this time and place; alienating him is a bad idea. He doesn't think a lot about what he's saying, just goes with his gut. "My parents died. Bad accident. I don't have any family and I came out here because I didn't know where else to go. It's...where they met."

He knows immediately it worked; Kendall's eyes fill with compassion. "Logan, man, I am so sorry. How old are you?"

"Seventeen. You?"

"Almost there. Few months. Where are you gonna go?"

"I don't know. I never expected to get this far." And this much is true.

"Oh, the bank. Is that why you got so upset when they demolished it? Why you were there in the first place? They maybe worked there?"

"Yes. They met there." Again, Logan is going on instinct.

"I am so sorry. Do you have a place to stay tonight?"

Kendall is going to invite him home. Logan knows that if the past Mrs. Knight is anything like her future counterpart, she will absolutely insist he stay there. He quickly weighs his options and realizes he has none. He could go find James and see where that takes him, but James is an unknown entity at this point (especially since Kendall seems to know something about him Logan doesn't), and if Mrs. Diamond is her usual charming self, she'll have Logan spilling his guts in no time; that can't happen.

Logan shakes his head.

"You can come home with me. Mom's fine with it, and it's just her and Katie and me. Just don't let Katie sass you. She's kind of a brat."

Logan smiles in spite of his current predicament. "I'll keep that in mind."

"So you got any stuff? Clothes or anything?"

"No, it was all in the bank. It's gone now." He doesn't have to fake the despair over losing his "belongings."

"Well, my clothes might be a little big on you, but we'll figure something out. We should get home, dinner will be ready soon and Mom's expecting us."

"Us?"

"Yeah, we told her a little about you. I told you, she's cool with it."

This doesn't surprise Logan. He stands after sucking down more Pepsi. "Where did James go?"

"What do you need him for?"

"I wanted to ask if I can keep the newspaper. I don't want to just take it."

Kendall whips out another nickel and sets it on the counter. "There. It's paid for. Let's go."

But Logan is hesitant to leave without seeing James again. He needs that smile, needs those gorgeous eyes to center him. "Let me use the bathroom?"

"I don't live far, Logan, and I have a bathroom."

"I know, just...give me a minute? Please?"

Kendall shrugs. "I'll wait here."

The restroom is empty. With a frown, Logan explores until he finds a door that looks like it might lead to the small backroom. He pokes his head in and sees only supplies. But where else could James be? Unless he left by some back door, and Logan doubts he would do that to his uncle. Then again, what does he know about this James really?

Well, at least if it's empty, no one will hear him. He calls out "I just wanted to say thank you for everything. Maybe I'll see you around sometime?"

No answer. Logan sighs and starts to back out when he hears the voice that is like the beating of his own heart, so necessary to living.

"Hope so. You're welcome."

He can't see James, but the words are enough. With a smile, Logan rejoins Kendall. "Let's go home."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:** Anyone reading this knows that Nickelodeon owns the rights to Big Time Rush, right? I just like to play chess with the boys, moving them around as I see fit.

So one night I was at the mall and heard a song that sounded like something out of a 50's diner. I suddenly had a vision of Kendall and James as rival gang leaders and it wouldn't leave me alone. The final product is quite a bit different than my original vision, but it was inspired by both _Grease_ and _Back to the Future_, two fabulous movies that take me back to my childhood because I have such great memories of watching them with friends and family. If you haven't seen them, you really should.

Dedication on this one goes to **PromiseMeTheStars **because she is such a cheerleader and kept pushing me to continue it after I'd decided to give up on it. She's still bugging me with "Did you write anymore of your story? :D" **Aranelle** did the same thing, and I love them both for encouraging me when I thought this story had no place to go. Turns out it had two different places to go, but at least everyone will end up happy. I think. Because they always do in my world.

**Gleechild** gave me the push to start this in the first place, and she's already helped me with two scenes in this story just from her reviews alone. KEEP REVIEWING ME, SHARON. YOU'RE WRITING THIS WITH ME. **Aranelle** made a pact with me—we agreed that if she'd write her Kendall/James gangster fic, I'd write this one. She made good on her end of the bargain, so I had to follow through. AND YOU SHOULD ALL GO READ HER FIC BECAUSE I LOVE IT AND I LOVE HER AND IT'S JUST SO GOOD IT MADE ME CRY. It's titled "Call Me a Sinner, Call Me a Saint."

I don't even know why I'm still rambling here. I'll shut up now. But thank you for reading and I hope you like it!

* * *

><p>Mrs. Knight reacts exactly as Logan expects her to; as soon as she hears the sad tale of Logan's family (or lack thereof), she insists that he stay at the house. She presses him for details about any other family he might have and when he maintains that he has no other family, she decides that Logan needs to stay with them at least until he figures out what to do.<p>

While he's not sure this is a good idea, Logan is grateful; this is as close as he can get to being "home" and the familiarity is comforting.

The problem is Katie. She's suspicious by nature and something about Logan has her on high alert, but he can't figure out what. Did he say something odd? Is it something he's wearing? Is his story just that unbelievable? The way she studies Logan all through dinner makes him nervous, and he keeps expecting her to suddenly pipe up with a question he can't answer. He wonders if he should take her aside and confront her about it, maybe if they talk about it he can clear up any suspicions she may have about him, but knowing Katie, she'll confront him on her own.

Logan is lost in his thoughts, mind on figuring out a way to start building a new time machine, when Mrs. Knight says, "We'll take you down tomorrow and get you registered for school."

"School?" Logan's eyes widen. "No, that's not necessary. I won't be here long enough to attend school."

"Where do you plan to go?"

"I haven't figured that out yet but-"

"Well, it's not going to happen overnight and until it does, you need to be in school, young man."

"Mom, give him a break," Kendall interrupts. "His parents just died."

"All the more reason for him to get back to a normal routine as soon as possible."

"Mrs. Knight, I understand what you're saying, but-"

"When did they die?" Katie suddenly asks.

"Katie!" Kendall scolds.

"Honey, that's rude."

Logan meets Katie's stare. They might as well get past this. "A few weeks ago," he answers.

"And where did you stay after? Before you came to California?"

"With friends of my mom's. They had enough to deal with, though, didn't need me hanging around."

"Where are you from, anyway?"

"Minnesota."

"Enough, Katie. He doesn't need to be interrogated. He's been through a lot."

"Thank you, Mom," Kendall comments. "He also needs a few days to recover from everything in a place where he's safe and can rest. Give him a few days, let him figure things out. Please."

Logan adds, "If I'm still here in a week, I'll enroll in school. Promise."

After a moment, Mrs. Knight answers, "You have one day. You can have tomorrow to think things through. But I want you to know that you can stay here as long as you need to. We'll find you some clothes for a few days and then if it's going to be longer, I'll take you shopping."

"You don't have to do that, Mrs. Knight. I plan to be gone within a week. Hopefully sooner."

"You're going where?" she asks again.

"I...don't know yet."

"Exactly. Until you do, you live here and follow a normal routine. Which includes school."

"How are you going to enroll me without any records? I don't have my birth certificate or immunization records or anything."

"Your what?" Mrs. Knight frowns.

"My..." Didn't they even have innoculation yet? Apparently not. "Just all my records."

"It's no problem. Since when does the school need a bunch of records over my word? I'll tell them your situation and they'll put you in classes. Easy as pie."

The word "pie" brings a vision of James to mind-not the James in this time, but his James, who loves pie more than most other things but was always willing to share with his best friends. Logan's heart aches suddenly to see him, hear his laugh, feel his body as they sit on the couch together. Logan's eyes close against the sting of tears and he bows his head.

"Hey, you okay?" Kendall asks with a hand on Logan's shoulder.

He nods. "Just...miss them."

"Honey, why don't you go lay down? I'm sure it's been a long day and you're exhausted."

"I am," Logan admits, though what he really needs is time alone to think.

"He can sleep in my room," Kendall offers. "I have a big bed. Unless that's uncomfortable for you?"

Logan almost laughs; the number of nights he and Kendall have shared a bed..."It's fine."

"Okay. I'm gonna get him settled and then I'll be right back to help with dishes, Mom."

"You better!" Katie yells as they leave the kitchen.

What Logan sees first upon entering Kendall's room is that it's filled with trophies. Every sport, every award possible, Kendall has apparently conquered. "Wow. You must be good at sports." This doesn't really surprise Logan, though.

"Yeah, I've been playing all my life."

"Baseball, football, track and field, basketball...no hockey?"

"Hockey? Like ice hockey?"

"Yeah."

"We don't have that here, not in school. Do they in Minnesota?"

Do they yet? Logan doesn't really know. "Sure," he answers anyway. "I bet you'd be great at it, too."

"Maybe," Kendall shrugs. "Here, I think my pajamas will be too big for you, but you can wear an undershirt and sweatpants."

Logan takes the clothes and nods. "Thank you, Kendall. I'd be lost if you hadn't found me."

"Probably dead, too. Don't forget that."

It hits him out of the blue, how scared he is and how grateful he is to have Kendall here, his whole "family" really, and James as well. Is there a Carlos somewhere? He pulls Kendall in and hugs him tight, tears threatening again.

"Hey, it's okay, it's gonna be okay now. You're safe here and we won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

Logan's trembling relaxes some as Kendall rubs his back soothingly. Kendall always did give the best hugs. "I'm sorry, I just don't know what I'm gonna do."

"Just know that you're not alone, okay? Whatever you decide to do, I'll help you do it. Mom, too. Katie I'm not so sure about."

Logan chuckles, not wanting to move out of Kendall's embrace; it's the one place he does feel safe right now. "Yeah, well you know Katie. If there's something in it for her, she'll help."

"I do know her," Kendall nods against Logan's hair. "But how do you? Figured out her evil ways so soon?" he jokes.

"I guess so." Logan finally steps back, impatient now to be alone and plan. "I'm gonna go change and get some sleep."

"Sure. I'll probably be gone when you wake up tomorrow, but promise me you won't go anywhere until I get home from school?"

"I might go exploring a little bit."

"That's fine, just don't leave for good. And watch out for the truancy cops. They'll try to drag you back to school."

"Experience talking, Kendall?"

"Who, me? I haven't ditched school in years. Used to a lot, though. Back when..." Kendall trails off and shakes his head. "That's in the past. Just be careful and don't get lost."

"I will. And I won't."

"Okay. Goodnight, Logan."

"Goodnight, Kendall. Thanks again."

"No problem."

Logan watches Kendall leave the room and close the door, then lets out a long sigh of relief. Finally, some time alone. He whips out his cell phone and sees that it's almost dead, and of course has absolutely no service available. But at least it still has power and some of the apps on it will work. The navigation and maps don't, but that doesn't surprise him. He opens the notes app and makes a few about his day, jotting down some ideas about where to begin his search for supplies to build a new time machine. He doesn't get far, though, because a knock on the door almost makes him drop his phone. After shoving it into his pocket again, he calls out "Yes?"

Kendall pokes his head in. "Mom wants to know if you want pie. She made some today."

And there's the pie again. Pie is everywhere, making his heart ache for James. "No, I'm tired. But thanks."

"That's what we figured. Goodnight. Again." Kendall smiles at Logan. "If you need anything, I'm here."

"I know. Thank you. Goodnight."

Once Kendall leaves, Logan frowns. He needs to charge his phone, but where to plug it in so that Kendall won't see it? He finds an outlet almost under the bed and goes with that, hiding the cord and phone as much as he can from view. He pulls out his wallet and checks his money, relieved he took the time to trade in some of his "modern" bills and coins for older ones in preparation for this moment. The good news is his money will go farther in this era than it would in his own.

After stripping, he folds his clothing carefully to make sure everything stays in the pockets and lays it near his charging phone. Kendall's clothing fits him fine, and he relaxes onto the bed, thinking he should take the time to explore Kendall's room more but there'll be time for that tomorrow. What he really needs to do right now is figure all this out. What the hell is he going to do?

Unfortunately the answer doesn't come to him because he's finally in a place he feels safe; instead sleep claims him and carries him away into dreams of two Jameses, one he longs for and one who is still a mystery.

* * *

><p>Logan sleeps much later than intended. He wakes up and groans when he sees the clock, surprised that Kendall getting up and ready for school didn't wake him; then again, Kendall would've purposely been quiet to give him time to rest.<p>

But he's already so far behind. After using the restroom, he raids Kendall's closet and finds a pair of jeans that are only a tad too long on him, as well as a plain white t-shirt. He pockets everything from his previous outfit, including the phone charger; best not to leave anything behind.

He ventures out into the kitchen to find a covered plate waiting for him, along with a note from Mrs. Knight stating that she went out for a bit but will be back, and he should have a hearty breakfast before he starts his day. His heart swells and once again he's relieved he somehow ran into these people.

As he wolfs down breakfast, he puts his brain to work. In the end he decides the library would be the best place to start; a reference librarian would be helpful, able to show him everything he'll be needing or at least tell him where to go for those things. Logan longs for the Internet and wonders how people ever lived without it. This is going to be a million times harder without the world at his fingertips.

Mrs. Knight walks in just as he's about to leave. "Good morning, Logan. You're coming back, right?"

"Yes, I need to find a library. Would you be able to tell me if there's one around here?"

"Of course, there's one about a mile down the road. I can give you a lift if you'd like."

Logan thinks it over, knowing it would be faster, but he's actually curious about the city. "I think I'd rather walk, clear my head. But thank you."

"Looking for anything in particular at the library?"

"I was going to see if I can find any relatives I don't know about. Maybe I have some in the area, since my parents met here." It almost shames him how easily he lies to her.

"That's a good idea. But honey, I want you to know that you're welcome to stay here as long as you want. I mean that."

"Thank you. And breakfast was delicious." With a smile, Logan pulls her into a hug, hoping it's not inappropriate. She hugs him back, though.

"It's really no problem, Logan."

"So where's the library?"

She gives him directions and writes down their phone number on a piece of paper. "Call me when you're ready to come home. If I'm not here, it means I'm picking up Katie."

"What time does Kendall get home?"

"He stays later for practice, usually makes it home just in time for dinner."

"I shouldn't be out that long. If I am, I'll call so you don't worry."

"I would appreciate that. Be careful."

"I will."

Logan walks the streets, mind on his surroundings rather than his immediate problem. Once he gets off Kendall's street, he sees a typical city in motion, albeit quieter and a bit more relaxed than he's used to. The cars, clothes, and buildings fascinate him in the same way Muggles fascinate Arthur Weasley. He laughs thinking about that, wondering what these people would think of a story about a boy wizard out to save the world.

He's about halfway there when he realizes a car has pulled up next to him. He keeps walking, head down, praying it's not some sort of truancy officer, but then he hears his name.

"Hey! Logan!"

He turns to find James grinning up at him from the passenger's window as he leans across the seat, and Logan's heart flutters. Hair slicked back again and this time there's a leather jacket and tight jeans involved.

"Where you going?"

"Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Shouldn't you?"

"Not from around here, I told you."

"So where are you going?"

"Library."

"Library? On purpose?"

Logan laughs; it's such a James thing to say. "Yes. I have some things to research."

"It's a beautiful day. Why don't you hop in and we'll go for a drive?"

James really shouldn't look so beautiful and be so flirty, it always messes with Logan's head. "I really don't have time."

"Come on, I'll buy you lunch."

"James, I have things to do."

"At least let me give you a lift to the library."

Logan wavers. The idea of sitting in a car with James is a rather nice one.

"Get in." James opens the passenger door and scoots away to his side.

"I really should just-"

"Get in the car, Logan."

Damn James for being so sexy. How did Logan not realize sooner that his feelings for James were romantic? Right now all he can think about is kissing him, or rather his own James back home. Though this one's nice, too.

"You coming or what? I don't bite, you know."

Except he says it in a way that makes Logan think he will bite, and that it will be a good thing. Logan finally slides into the car, pulling the heavy door closed and reaching up for the seatbelt-which of course isn't there.

"What are you doing?"

"Scratching my head, is that okay with you?"

"Sure," James shrugs. "Not like you've done anything to your hair to worry about messing up."

Logan smirks and shakes his head. "Always with the hair," he mumbles under his breath. Reaching down, he finds the lap belt and straps himself in.

"What, you don't trust my driving?"

"I don't even know you, James."

"You know I was there for you yesterday, when you were sick."

"I do. You're different now. Is this the cool James? Nice guy on the weekends, bad boy at school?"

"Hey, you gotta protect the image. If you show any weakness, they'll think you're soft."

"They who?"

"You know. The guys at school."

"Why do you care what they think?"

James frowns as he pulls away from the curb. "Why don't you?" When Logan shrugs, he continues. "I don't know what it's like where you come from, but here you're either cool or you're not."

"And what does that get you? Being cool?"

"Everything, Logan. Everything."

Logan rolls his eyes and shakes his head, used to this sort of answer from James. "You're telling me you have everything you want in life? Just from being cool?"

James bites his lip and keeps his eyes straight ahead, but Logan senses there's definitely something he longs for. Instead of elaborating, he shrugs and asks, "How do you know Kendall? Cousin or something?"

"Uh, no. I just met him yesterday. Kind of a long story."

"Fine, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't make you. But you need to be careful. Kendall's a jerk."

Logan's eyebrows shoots up in amusement. "Really. He said the same thing about you."

"That figures. He's an ass."

Logan laughs out loud. "I believe he also said _that _about you. What's your problem with each other?"

"I got no problem. He's just a jerk."

"He was pretty nice to me."

"Well, aren't you special?"

The snide tone surprises Logan. "A lot of animosity between you two. Something obviously happened. Were you friends at one point?"

"It doesn't matter. He's got his life, I've got mine. Who cares?"

"Obviously you do. He really bothers you."

"Because he's a jerk."

"Unless you can give me an example of why he's a jerk, I won't believe it; he's been nothing but kind to me. So has his mother."

"His mother? You met Mrs. Knight? How is she?"

"She's fine, or seems that way. I'm staying with them until I figure out how to get home. Or at least...where to go next."

James halts at a stop sign and turns to Logan. "You're staying with them?"

"I don't have anywhere else to go."

"You could—well, maybe not, but I could ask if-" James bites his lip and looks away.

"You don't even know me. Why would you ask me to stay at your house?"

"Kendall did. You don't find that weird, but when I do it, it's weird?"

"I didn't say that. Kendall's just a different kind of person, so when he does it, it makes sense."

"Right. A goody-goody. So you trust him, but not me."

"James, I didn't say I don't trust you. But you and I have barely spoken to each other and you're all decked out in bad boy clothes and it puts off a vibe that makes people hesitant to talk to you. Which is your goal, I'm sure."

"Yeah, but not you. I don't want to make you feel that way."

"What makes me different?"

With a little smirk, James answers, "You're cute."

Logan's eyes widen but then he laughs. From anyone else it would shock him, but this is James, and for once James is flirting with him openly; his James never does that, not unless Kendall's around. "Thank you. You're kinda hot yourself."

The grin that stretches across James' face makes Logan smile as well. A honk from behind them has James turning forward again, and then they're moving.

"So where are you from?"

_Here we go again._ "Minnesota. Parents died, I'm out here looking to see if I have any relatives because this is where they're from originally."

"Shit, Logan. You don't have anyone?"

"I have the Knights. And you, I think."

"Yeah, you got me. How long are you staying in town?"

"No longer than I have to. As soon as I figure out where to go next and how to get there, I'm gone."

"So we don't have much time."

"Time for what?"

James shrugs, avoiding the question. "You won't last ten minutes at the library."

"What does that mean?"

"The librarian will ask you why you aren't in school."

"I'll tell her."

"And then she'll call Mrs. Knight to come get you. Because no students are allowed in the library during school hours without a teacher or parent present."

"What? That's ridiculous. And how do you know library rules, Mr. Truancy?"

"That's exactly _how_ I know. Me and Kendall used to hide out there during school and we'd get caught and sent home."

Logan frowns. "You and Kendall?"

"Oh. Yeah. That was a long time ago. When he was cool."

"Before he became a jerk, you mean."

"Exactly."

"He probably did all kinds of horrible things like join the sports team and keep his grades up and try to be a good student." It's starting to come together for Logan now.

"Are you making fun of me, Logan?"

"No. Just wondering if that's why your friendship fell apart. Because he went one direction and you...went another."

"He changed. I didn't."

_And you still miss him. So much all you can do is call him a jerk and an ass and pretend you don't._ Sighing, Logan looks out his window, thoughts on his own James and Kendall. Their fighting isn't because somebody changed, but because one of them drifted and came back to find things different. He's positive they aren't fighting over him because both of them want him as a boyfriend; Kendall's feelings for him are strictly friendship, there's no question of that, which is fine because Logan doesn't think of him that way anyway. James, on the other hand...

Could James actually want more from him? Is that why he keeps trying to push Kendall away, because he feels threatened and fears he might lose Logan? The James sitting next to him is obviously attracted to him, and he's flirting in the same manner the James back home flirts when Kendall's around—as if laying claim to Logan. So many questions Logan wants to ask, and he can't; he's stuck here without any way of contacting his best friend—no phones, no texting or chatting or even video communication. Hell, he can't even write a letter. Suddenly he misses James dreadfully, wants nothing more than to lean against him, hear his laugh, or even just his voice.

And then it's there. "So since you can't go to the library, I'm taking you somewhere else."

Logan's head whips over to look at James. "Where are you taking me?" He takes in his surroundings finally and realizes they're in the hills. When did they get here?

"Somewhere nice. You'll like it, it's pretty."

Pretty? This James appreciates pretty? "I can't stay out too late. And I still need to hit the library today. Whatever time school lets out."

"I'll get you there, don't worry." James' hand moves to settle over Logan's on the seat between them, and Logan's heart races faster. He feels guilty, almost like he's cheating on _his_ James, but this is also James, and thinking too much about that makes his head hurt.

"Just what do you have in mind for me, James?"

"Just a pretty view."

"I've already got that." Logan squeezes James' hand and James glances over in surprise. Logan doesn't know what's come over him, only knows that James is next to him and flirting and it's wonderful because there's no Kendall around, no questions about James' motives for once.

James grins and squeezes Logan's hand in return, then turns off onto a well-traveled dirt road. They drive to a large outcropping of rock on the side of the hill, and Logan can see by the trash littered around that it's a popular place, or at least one that's usually inhabited by rowdy teens. At the moment, though, it's deserted.

They pull up to the edge and Logan gasps. He's looking down over the city, and Hollywood is gorgeous, even as "bare" as it seems to him after seeing the view in his own time; it might even be better for it. "James, it's beautiful. Wow."

"I like to come up here and think sometimes. Get lost in memories."

Another squeeze to James' hand. "Where's the Hollywood sign?"

"Right underneath us. It looks weird now."

"Weird how?"

"When I was a kid it said 'Hollywoodland.' Now it always looks like it's missing something."

"I'll bet. When did that happen?"

"When I was around eight or so. It just felt wrong."

"So you feel like talking now? This is a great place to talk."

"I don't want to talk. But if you do, I'm a great listener. Just don't tell anyone that."

Logan chuckles. "Your secret's safe with me." Part of him feels the urgency to get to work, like the more time he spends with James, the more behind he'll be on getting home. Somehow, though, he can't bring himself to rush the moment. "What do you want to do, then? If we don't talk?"

"We could always neck. I'm dying to kiss you."

Logan swallows and bites down on his lip because really, he's dying for that, too. His feelings are all mixed up with his James and this James and it's making him crazy but one thing he knows is he needs to be kissed by James, has been needing it for some time now, and this James is here next to him offering.

He unbuckles the lap belt and scoots closer, heart beating like a drum.

James reaches out to turn him sideways a bit, then lifts his chin and holds Logan in place as he presses their lips together. He's hesitant at first but when he knows Logan isn't going to move away, he deepens it, and wow. James knows how to kiss. Logan's never experienced anything like it, not even when he and Camille were flirting around with romance.

Logan's hands come up to frame James' face, fingers sliding into his hair, and James sighs. Logan turns fully sideways and James does the same, and then they're lost in it, kissing for what feels like hours but is probably only ten minutes.

James finally pulls away. "Okay, this right here. This you can't tell anyone about. Swear it."

"James, I wouldn't do that. Nobody has to know." Logan is well aware that homophobia is alive and well in this day and age. It could ruin James' life if they were seen. "Swear."

After searching Logan's eyes, James nods. "So you uh...want to try out the backseat?"

Logan laughs. "You're so cute. I would love to, actually, but I'm afraid we'd never leave and I really need to get to the library."

"Is it so bad here? Maybe you should stay a while. Get to know the town. The people."

_I already know the people. And I need to get home to them. To my people. To James. He's probably going crazy, thinking I died_. "I think I've met everyone who matters," Logan grins. "Except..."

"What?"

"Nothing. Just had a thought." There has to be a Carlos here, and he'd kill to see what Carlos in the 50's is like.

"Well, share it. Anything you want, you just gotta ask."

Something in Logan melts. "What would I do without you, James?"

"That's a question you need to ask yourself often, Logan. Every single day."

"How about I just kiss you some more instead?"

"I won't argue with that idea." James smiles and leans in, Logan meeting him halfway but the moment their lips touch, James pulls back. "Shit shit shit!"

"What?"

"Scoot away, scoot away!"

"What? I-" Logan does, moving back to his side of the car, and then he hears what James did—the rumble of an engine approaching.

James starts up the car and backs out, having to stop when a police cruiser blocks them in. "Shit!"

"Oh my God, are we gonna get in trouble?"

"No, it's just...well, maybe, my mom's gonna kill me, but what's new?"

An officer steps out of the car and walks over with a smirk. "Diamond, don't you ever go to school?"

"Why should I? It's boring and I never learn anything worth hearing."

"Get back to school. Now."

"On my way. Can't move until you do, though."

"Who's this guy? Never seen you before."

"I'm not from around here," Logan answers. "Just visiting."

"Leave him alone. He's staying with the Knights for a while."

The officer studies Logan, who tries not to squirm but act natural. Authority figures have always made him nervous.

"Get going, then. Both of you. Diamond, I expect to see this car in the school parking lot within an hour."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll go after I drop him off."

Once the path is open, James turns around and heads down the hill, the officer of course on his tail. "Damn. They usually don't patrol up here during the day. I figured we'd be safe."

"Are you really gonna get in trouble?"

"Mom's always yelling at me about something. She wants the perfect son, someone like Kendall. I swear she wishes she'd had him instead."

"I'm sure that's not true, James. She just has a hard time expressing love outwardly."

James frowns over at Logan. "You don't know my mom. She's a bitch."

"I'm sure that's probably true, but it doesn't mean she doesn't love you. She wants the best for you."

"I'll say it again—you don't know my mom."

Logan shrugs with a small smile. He absolutely does know Mrs. Diamond, and though he's pretty sure she doesn't work in this era, she most likely keeps herself busy running a million community gatherings or the country club. "So where are we going?"

"Anywhere you want."

"I think I'll take my chances at the library. The worst that'll happen is they'll call Mrs. Knight to come get me, right? Or send me home."

"No, they'll call her. They won't want to send you out on your own, you might get into some other kind of mischief." James grins just thinking about the absurdity of that idea. "But really, you want to go there? I can't get you to join me for a soda? Maybe buy you lunch?"

"You're supposed to go back to school, James. It's no wonder you're always in trouble."

"Hey, you're not gonna be in town for long, right? Gotta spend time with you while I can."

"Sure it won't upset your bad boy image? Being seen with a nerdy guy like me?" James shrugs, but his lack of an answer tells Logan it's something he hadn't thought of. "I'll take the library. But thank you for the offer."

"Your choice." They don't speak much the rest of the way there, but Logan can't keep from reaching out to hold James' hand as they go. He misses his own James so much it's a physical ache in his chest.

James pulls into the library parking lot and rolls up to the entrance, turning to say something but then his eyes narrow into a glare. "What the hell is _he_ doing here?"

Logan releases James' hand and follows his gaze to find Kendall staring at them with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring right back at James.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes:** Anyone reading this knows that Nickelodeon owns the rights to Big Time Rush, right? I just like to play chess with the boys, moving them around as I see fit.

So one night I was at the mall and heard a song that sounded like something out of a 50's diner. I suddenly had a vision of Kendall and James as rival gang leaders and it wouldn't leave me alone. The final product is quite a bit different than my original vision, but it was inspired by both _Grease_ and _Back to the Future_, two fabulous movies that take me back to my childhood because I have such great memories of watching them with friends and family. If you haven't seen them, you really should.

Dedication on this one goes to **PromiseMeTheStars **because she is such a cheerleader and kept pushing me to continue it after I'd decided to give up on it. She's still bugging me with "Did you write anymore of your story? :D" **Aranelle** did the same thing, and I love them both for encouraging me when I thought this story had no place to go. Turns out it had two different places to go, but at least everyone will end up happy. I think. Because they always do in my world.

**Gleechild** gave me the push to start this in the first place, and she's already helped me with two scenes in this story just from her reviews alone. KEEP REVIEWING ME, SHARON. YOU'RE WRITING THIS WITH ME. **Aranelle** made a pact with me—we agreed that if she'd write her Kendall/James gangster fic, I'd write this one. She made good on her end of the bargain, so I had to follow through. AND YOU SHOULD ALL GO READ HER FIC BECAUSE I LOVE IT AND I LOVE HER AND IT'S JUST SO GOOD IT MADE ME CRY. It's titled "Call Me a Sinner, Call Me a Saint."

I don't even know why I'm still rambling here. I'll shut up now. But thank you for reading and I hope you like it!

XXXXXXXXX

Logan releases James' hand and follows his gaze to find Kendall staring at them with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring right back at James.

"I don't know. I thought he was at school."

"He's supposed to be."

Kendall steps up to the car. "Logan, what the hell are you doing with him?"

"I...he gave me a ride to the library."

"What's the matter, Knight? Jealous?"

_Oh Jesus Christ. You've got to be kidding me. I went back in time fifty years to listen to more of this?_ Logan feels like he could bash his head into a wall. What is it about these two?

"What would I have to be jealous of?"

"Maybe that I have a car and the balls to ditch school once in a while?"

"That's not something to be proud of, Diamond. But I'm here, aren't I? During school hours?"

"How'd you manage that? Break a nail during gym class?"

"At least I show up to gym class. You'd better go, won't Garcia be lost without you? I bet he misses you already."

A smug smile crosses James' face. "I bet he does. Best friend I've ever had."

Logan watches the emotions shift behind Kendall's eyes, but all Kendall says is, "Logan, come on. We've got work to do."

So there is indeed a Carlos. Of course there would be. "We do?"

"You want to find your family, right?"

"Yes. Of course." Logan turns to James but finds that his eyes are still glued to Kendall, and when he turns to look at Kendall, finds the same. It's like he doesn't even exist, and it's similar to what happens back home, but there's an undercurrent here that's new. The animosity between them is on a level Logan has never witnessed, and yet they can't take their eyes off each other. "James," he says softly, then repeats it when James doesn't respond.

"Yeah," he answers, finally meeting Logan's gaze.

"Thank you. For the ride. And the view."

The smile James answers with is genuine and lights up his face, changing his entire demeanor. "Anytime. All you gotta do is ask."

The pull to kiss James is so strong that Logan opens the door and steps out, knowing it's the only way he's going to avoid doing it. Kendall immediately pulls him toward the library doors, and Logan looks back to see James driving away; a pang of loneliness hits him.

"Where were you?"

"When? And why are you here? You should be in school."

"I wanted to help. I faked a stomachache and went home, got a note from Mom that says we have permission to be here. Then I showed up and you weren't even here."

"We were driving around. He showed me a little bit of the town."

Kendall shakes his head. "I told you, Logan. He's bad news."

"He's not a horrible person, Kendall. He offered to buy me lunch."

"He must want something out of it. Keep your distance, no telling what he might do."

_He might kiss me again. Maybe more than just on the lips._ A blush creeps up over Logan's face, but he smiles at the idea. "He misses you."

Kendall stops walking just inside the entrance. "He said that?"

"He didn't have to. I could tell by the way he talks about you, about the way you guys used to be. What happened?"

Kendall shrugs. "We just drifted apart. He changed."

"He says you changed."

"Who cares? Maybe we both did. One day he was my best friend, and then suddenly he wasn't. We're both happier this way."

Logan doubts that, though. "Are you really? You don't miss him at all?"

"Why are we talking about this? I didn't cut out of class so you could shrink me. I did it so we can look up your relatives. And just how do you intend to do that, anyway?"

Logan had never intended any such thing, and when he realizes it he groans on the inside. How is he supposed to research time travel supplies with Kendall here? "I'm not sure. Don't they have phone books from all over the state? I could try that."

"Phone books?"

Surely they had phone books in this time, right? Or did they rely on operators for everything? "You know, a listing of phone numbers."

"For who?"

"Everyone?"

"I'm pretty sure they don't. I guess we could ask, though?"

Logan already knows it's a lost cause. The whole point of this trip is wasted now, because Kendall decided to be a good friend and help out. And somehow Logan can't be mad at him for that, because it's Kendall and he loves that about Kendall, loves that Kendall is always there for his friends. "Maybe we should forget about this today."

"What? No. I skipped school to come down and help you. Let's not waste it."

"Kendall, I don't even know where to start."

"Let's ask the librarian. She'll probably have some ideas. Come on."

Kendall leads him into the main part of the library, which is so much quieter than any library Logan's ever been in. No clacking of keyboards, no whisper of music from headphones as he walks by the few patrons seated around the tables. Kendall even speaks in a hush as he explains to the librarian what they need, after showing his permission slip from his mother, of course. To Logan's relief, there are indeed telephone directories and she sets them up near the reference section with a few covering their area and the surrounding counties.

"So, what are we looking for?"

"Mitchell. My last name is Mitchell." Now that he's sitting here looking for it, Logan is almost excited about this. What if his family does exist here? What if somehow he himself does? Would that create some sort of rip in the fabric of time and space, if they were in the same room together? He knows the idea is ridiculous, but it's intriguing.

"I know some Mitchells."

"You do?"

"Yeah. They live down the block from me."

"Really?" Logan's heart triphammers. But if there was a version of himself, surely Kendall would've said something by now about the similarities between them. "Do they have a son?"

"They did. When I was little. Me and James used to play with him. He got sick and died, though. I barely remember him."

Logan sits back in his chair, the wind knocked from his lungs. _I'm dead. I died. That's why I'm not here. I'm dead._

"Do you want to go talk to them? Maybe see if they're related to you somehow?"

"I...uh. I guess we should."

"Oh, I think they're out of town right now. I heard Mom say she was going over to feed their dog tonight."

"They don't have any other kids, right?"

"No. Just their little boy, whose name I can't even remember now. That's kind of sad, isn't it? I should remember."

"You were little, it makes sense." Logan's mind is still reeling from the idea that he died. Even if it wasn't him, it _was_ him. What would have happened if he'd lived? Would James and Kendall still hate each other? Would they all be great friends, Carlos included? "You mentioned a Garcia. Who's that?"

"Oh. Him. James' sidekick. His mom works for the Diamonds, cleans their house. He tags along sometimes to help, and I guess he and James got close. They hardly ever go anywhere without each other now."

"You don't like him?"

"Actually, he's not so bad. When he's alone. I have him in my history class, and he's pretty funny. Nice guy, really. I don't know why he hangs around with James. James is an ass."

"And we're back to that again. So far, James has helped me when I was sick and threw up at his uncle's store—"

"You threw up?"

"Yes. He's given me a free drink to calm my stomach, he's taken me around to show me the sights, he's offered to buy me lunch, and he's given me a ride to the library. Sounds like an ass to me."

"I'm telling you, Logan. He wants something from you."

"Maybe he just likes me."

After a brief silence, Kendall argues, "He doesn't even know you."

"He does now."

Something in Logan's tone has Kendall's head swinging around slowly. His eyes narrow on Logan. "Where did he take you?"

"Just around. My point is that maybe he's not a big jerk like you think. Maybe there's a side to him you haven't seen."

"I've seen every side of James. Trust me, he's not a nice person."

Logan shakes his head. "Maybe it's easier for you to think that because otherwise you'll miss him too much."

"Are you shrinking me again? I help you, and you do this to me?"

"Kendall, I'm just trying to help. It's obvious you two miss each other and-"

Kendall stands up and pushes his chair in. "I'm not listening to this. I'll be back, gonna use the bathroom."

_Why are you two so damn stubborn?_ Logan took the trip in the first place to get away from the fighting, but now he's right back in the middle of it. But maybe if he can work out how to fix these two idiots, he'll know how to fix his own. Maybe that's why he's stuck here, kind of like that old "Quantum Leap" show. He has to fix the wrong before he can go home again.

Or maybe he really is just knocked out in a coma in his own time, dreaming all this.

Either way, it doesn't look like he's getting back anytime soon. At least not today, because he can't do any research with Kendall around. He stands up and thanks the librarian, then waits for Kendall outside the restroom. "Let's just go home," he says when Kendall reappears.

"I'm sorry. I'm just real touchy about James."

"I know. And you wouldn't be if you didn't care about him. That's all I'm saying."

"He used to be so much fun. We were always together, always laughing and getting into trouble, finding adventures. Now he's just mean all the time."

"Look, I have a little bit of money. Why don't we get some lunch, and we can talk about it? If you want."

"I don't want to. But lunch sounds good. Lou won't mind us hanging out, if you're okay with the drugstore again?" 

_The drugstore. James_. Logan's heart leaps as he wonders if James might be there. But of course once they showed up together, the mood would sour because Kendall and James would argue again. Or one of them would leave. Why must they be so difficult? "If James is there, will you play nice?"

"I always play nice. He's the one who starts the fights."

"Right. Whatever you say, Kendall. But will you behave?"

"I told you. He's the one who-"

"Fine! Let's just go, okay?"

"Okay. No need to get crazy about it."

James is not at the drugstore, and Logan isn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. They have a nice lunch together, laughing as Kendall opens up a bit about his life and school and what Logan can expect the following day, because it appears he'll be going to school whether he likes it or not. He dreads it, not only the experience itself but the lost time working on the machine to get him home. They're finishing up dessert when Logan feels Kendall bristle next to him and knows James must be here.

"Hey Jamie, how was school today?" Lou asks from behind the counter.

"Same as always, Uncle Lou. Boring." James takes the seat next to Logan and this is familiar, being trapped between the two of them. "The day had its perks, though," James grins, winking at Logan.

Logan smiles. "Hey, you. School out already?"

"I might've left a little early," James shrugs.

Logan shakes his head. "You're horrible."

"I was bored. Thought you two were at the library."

"We didn't get anywhere."

Kendall remains silent, but Logan can feel the tension in his body. He lays a hand on Kendall's thigh, one brief squeeze to say it's okay, then moves his hand away.

"Can I get some lunch, Lou?"

"Already on it, Jamie."

Kendall stands up. "I'll be back." He storms to the back of the store, most likely to the restroom, and Logan sighs.

"I wish you two would just talk to each other."

"He used to call me that," James says softly.

"What?"

"Jamie."

"How long have you two...not been talking?"

"About three years."

"And you still fight all the time?"

"No, we just don't talk. One of us shows up, the other leaves. It's kind of an unspoken agreement."

"Don't you miss him?"

"Not at all. Thanks, Uncle Lou."

Logan studies James, who is shoving fries into his mouth now, and knows he's lying. He's known James most of his life, same with Kendall, and he knows when they're lying—even to themselves.

"So you got plans tonight?"

Logan's heart shifts into overdrive, the tiff between Kendall and James forgotten. "I don't know. Probably just dinner. Planning for tomorrow. Why?"

"Wanna go see a movie with me?"

Immediately he sees himself in a dark movie theater with James, the same way he'd wanted to go that one day before everything went to hell. "Isn't it a school night? Would your mom let you go?"

"She's busy doing her own thing. I won't keep you out too late, maybe ten. Eleven, if I can get you up on the hill with me."

"Oh, hell." Logan wants this, so badly he can hardly think straight. "Wouldn't you worry about people seeing us together?"

"It'll be dark. We'll park way in the back, where the older people park and actually watch the movie. They won't even notice us."

_Park. At the movies. Of course, it's a drive-in._ "I'd have to...you know what? Yes. I would love to." Mrs. Knight might put up a fight, and Kendall most certainly would, but Logan's not about to pass up this opportunity to be alone with James and possibly try new things.

"Yeah?" The smile James turns on Logan warms his heart. "I'll pick you up at seven."

"Pick him up for what?"

Kendall has arrived just in time to hear the last part.

"He's uh...we're going to the movies tonight." Why is Logan nervous, he's doing nothing wrong.

"You're what?"

"Hard of hearing, Knight? I'm taking him to the movies. Trying to spend some time with him before he has to leave here."

"Mom's not going to allow that. It's a school night."

"Maybe he'll sneak out. Might be a little bad boy in our Logan after all."

"He's not sneaking anywhere. Logan, what are you thinking? I told you! You can't trust him, he might...might..."

"I might what, Kendall? Show him a good time? Make him laugh for a few hours? Forget about his pain for a while?"

"Hey, I've been here for him as much as I've been able to. You keep stealing him away from me, James!"

"Guys, stop!" Logan stands up, already tired of it. He's heard it all before. "Please. Kendall, can we just go?"

"Yeah. Let's go. Back to my house, where I know you're safe."

"I'll be there at seven, Logan. Be ready."

Logan nods, then drags Kendall out because Kendall looks like he's about to go ballistic on James. "You have to accept that he's my friend, Kendall. It's not wrong for me to like him."

"Logan, you don't understand. He's after you."

"After me?"

"He wants..." But Kendall trails off, shaking his head. "You just have to trust me. His intentions are...not exactly pure."

_I'm kind of counting on that._ "Look, have some faith in me. I'm not totally innocent, I know what I'm getting into."

"But you don't. And I can't tell you, because I swore I'd never tell, and one thing I don't do is break a promise. Not even to someone I hate."

"You don't hate him."

"I do. I hate him every second of every day."

"Kendall. God, come here." Logan goes to pull Kendall in for a hug but Kendall's eyes widen and he steps back. "Oh. Right. We don't hug in public. Sorry."

"Let's just go home. Damn, we were having such a nice time. Why does James have to ruin everything? I hate him!"

"Come on. Don't think about him. Just worry about getting home and helping me convince your mom to let me go tonight. Even if you don't want me to, because that's what friends do, right?"

"I'm not helping you with this. You want to put yourself in his clutches, you go ahead. I've tried to save you but I can't now."

"Fine. Let's just get home, then."

"Fine."

And now they're back to "fines." Conversations about James seem to end in "fine" a lot, and Logan wonders if he'll ever get them back to the closeness they once shared.

XXXXXXX


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes:** Anyone reading this knows that Nickelodeon owns the rights to Big Time Rush, right? I just like to play chess with the boys, moving them around as I see fit.

So one night I was at the mall and heard a song that sounded like something out of a 50's diner. I suddenly had a vision of Kendall and James as rival gang leaders and it wouldn't leave me alone. The final product is quite a bit different than my original vision, but it was inspired by both _Grease_ and _Back to the Future_, two fabulous movies that take me back to my childhood because I have such great memories of watching them with friends and family. If you haven't seen them, you really should.

Dedication on this one goes to **PromiseMeTheStars **because she is such a cheerleader and kept pushing me to continue it after I'd decided to give up on it. She's still bugging me with "Did you write anymore of your story? :D" **Aranelle** did the same thing, and I love them both for encouraging me when I thought this story had no place to go. Turns out it had two different places to go, but at least everyone will end up happy. I think. Because they always do in my world.

**Gleechild** gave me the push to start this in the first place, and she's already helped me with two scenes in this story just from her reviews alone. KEEP REVIEWING ME, SHARON. YOU'RE WRITING THIS WITH ME. **Aranelle** made a pact with me—we agreed that if she'd write her Kendall/James gangster fic, I'd write this one. She made good on her end of the bargain, so I had to follow through. AND YOU SHOULD ALL GO READ HER FIC BECAUSE I LOVE IT AND I LOVE HER AND IT'S JUST SO GOOD IT MADE ME CRY. It's titled "Call Me a Sinner, Call Me a Saint."

This chapter is here because of **Gleechild.** She reminded me that I'd wanted to do a movie date and I totally forgot about it, so thank her if you like this. :)

I don't even know why I'm still rambling here. I'll shut up now. But thank you for reading and I hope you like it!

* * *

><p>Mrs. Knight isn't too keen on the idea of Logan venturing out without Kendall, but when he tells her that it's with James, she relents. This tells Logan a lot about what their friendship must have been like and how much time James must have spent at the Knight home. She obviously still finds James to be trustworthy, no matter what Kendall might have to say about him. Her only concern is that it's a school night, so he promises to be home no later than ten; parking on the hill will have to wait for another time.<p>

Logan knows he could easily argue that she's not his mother and has no say in what he does with his time, but since she has opened her home to him and because she's always been somewhat of a mom to him, he can't bring himself to argue with her.

Kendall tries for over an hour to talk him out of going, but Logan turns a deaf ear to his arguments. He knows James better than anyone else does, knows exactly what James wants from him, and is more than willing to give it. Again he feels almost like he's cheating on his James, and yet...this _is_ James. A taste of what might be waiting for him back home doesn't seem like a bad idea at all.

Kendall loans him clothes yet again, and this time Logan knows he has to take a chance and leave some of his belongings behind; he's not sure if he'll lose any clothing at all, in fact he probably won't since they'll be surrounded by other cars, but it would be bad for his cell phone or wallet to fall out and James to pick it up-or worse, find it later after dropping Logan off at home. He leaves behind everything in the end, hiding it under the bed and feeling naked without his phone and wallet but knowing it's for the best.

Katie studies him as he sits waiting for James. "How come you're going out with James?"

"We're just going to see a movie."

"How come Kendall's not going?"

"Kendall doesn't want to go anywhere with James."

After looking toward the kitchen where Kendall and Mrs. Knight are finishing up the dishes, Katie says, "I miss James. He used to come over all the time."

"That's what I hear. Why aren't they friends anymore, Katie?"

Katie shrugs. "I was just a kid then. Seven. They never told me anything. But Kendall got on the football team and James didn't. That's when things changed."

Logan frowns. "So James tried out for the team?"

"I don't think so. He always said sports were stupid. But they used to play games in the backyard all the time. Football, baseball, even soccer."

"But he didn't want to be on a team."

"Guess not. He better come to the door and say hi," Katie says as she peeks out the front window. "He's here! Mom, James is here!"

Mrs. Knight rushes out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel. Katie's already out the front door.

Logan glances over at Kendall, who has come to stare out of the kitchen, arms crossed over his chest. "They seem to think James is a pretty nice guy, too."

"They don't see him at school, okay? He can fool them with his fake charm here, but if they saw how he is at school, with Carlos around..."

"Carlos makes him mean?" Logan has a hard time buying that.

"He just has to show off in front of everyone. It's stupid. Why he's not trying to impress you is beyond me."

"Because he likes me," Logan grins, and then it widens when Kendall scowls at him. He goes to join Mrs. Knight at the front door, just in time to see James swing Katie up off the ground.

"James, I'm not a kid anymore! Put me down!" But she clings to him, laughing.

"You're never too old for a James hug, Katie. Never." He hugs her tight, then sets her down. "Hey, Mrs. Knight."

Is James nervous? Logan sees that he is, and that her opinion of him means a lot.

"It is so good to see you, James. I always hope to run into you at the school, but you're never around." She holds out her arms after tossing the dishrag onto the back of the couch. James goes to her and hugs her tight.

"That's because he's never there," Kendall remarks, and Logan turns to find Kendall right behind him.

"Is that true, James? Kendall says you ditch school a lot still, but I didn't want to believe it."

Logan doesn't have to turn around this time; he can feel Kendall's smug smile.

"Well, school's boring. Maybe I do miss more of it than I should," James answers, head down.

"That needs to stop, young man. Your education is important. Have you decided what you want to do with your life yet?"

James shrugs, not meeting her eyes.

Logan jumps in. "I'll bet you sing, don't you? Probably have an amazing voice."

James looks up at Logan in shock.

"How did you know that?" Kendall asks. "James, did you sing for him?"

"Of course not! I don't sing for anybody. At least...not anymore."

"Well," Mrs. Knight says, "you can't make a career out of singing. Not a good one, anyway. Give it some more thought, James."

"Why can't James be a singer, Mom?"

"Because, Katie, it's not a sure thing. Even if he has a wonderful voice, there aren't a lot of options for him."

Kendall steps up next to Logan. "Can you guys just go? You're gonna miss the movie."

"Yeah, let's go, Logan." After glaring at Kendall, James leads the way back to his car.

"Don't be a stranger, James! And have him home by ten!"

"Ten?" James swings around. "Come on, Mrs. Knight! At least give us until eleven!"

"It's a school night, James! And I expect you to be there tomorrow."

"Fine. Ten it is." Grumbling, James struts around to the driver's side and gets in. "Ten. What kind of curfew is that? We won't get any time after the movie."

Logan smiles. "I had the same thought. Katie's waving at you." He gets into the car, sitting back so James can lean across to wave at her.

"Love that kid."

"She misses you a lot. So does her mom, apparently. You should come over sometime. Hang out."

"Yeah, that'd go over well. Kendall would glare at me until I gave in and left."

"Who says Kendall has to be here? Doesn't he have practice after school every day? Come over and let her feed you pie. It would make her day."

"Pie. I do love pie," James says in a wistful tone. "And hers is the best."

"She made some yesterday. I bet if you got me home on time, she'd invite you in for a piece of pie before sending you home."

"Quit teasing me," James chuckles, turning on the car and pulling away. "Why are you so determined to get me and Kendall talking again? What do you care?"

"Because you're my friends and I hate to see you like this. I know you don't want to hear it, but you both miss each other like crazy."

"He doesn't miss me."

"I know him, James. He misses you."

"He can't even be in the same room with me."

"What did it? What was the final thing that broke you two?"

"Logan, I didn't take you out tonight so we could talk about Kendall."

"I know." Logan reaches over to take James's hand in his. "But my time is short and I have to do what I can before I go. I'd like to leave here knowing you two have each other to lean on."

"Look, I was always there for him, okay? He's the one who needed more. Who decided I wasn't enough, went out and made new friends. I'm not just gonna wait around for him, I moved on and made my own friends."

"Where is this Carlos I keep hearing about?"

"Out with his girl tonight. He's with her a lot now, I hardly see him."

Logan studies James as he drives. "You're afraid you're gonna lose him too, aren't you?"

"I just don't get why everybody leaves. Why am I not enough company?"

"In Carlos' case, I'd say it's because you're a guy, and he's obviously into girls. Are you into him like that? The way you're into...me?"

"Nah. Not Carlitos. He's a great guy, though, tons of fun. Makes me laugh a lot."

"And there's nobody else? Someone you might want to be more than friends with?"

After biting his lip, James glances over at Logan. "Well, there's you," he grins.

Logan laughs. "Yeah, but I won't be here forever. I really need to get home."

"I thought you said you didn't know where you were going. You heading back to Minnesota?"

"I...honestly don't know. I need time to figure that out, and I haven't had any yet."

"You need some time alone, I can get you away from him and then let you be for a while."

Logan squeezes James' hand. "I appreciate that. Might take you up on that offer." He lets go of James as they turn into the drive-in, looking around with a smile. "Wow. It's just like _Grease_."

"Like what?"

He looks at James in awe. "Holy shit, I'm at a drive-in with Danny Zuko." He collapses into giggles.

"What is wrong with you? Are you feeling okay?"

Maybe it's the fear and tension from the last two days, but the giggles don't stop until tears are running from Logan's eyes and he's reassuring James that he is, in fact, okay—just a little hysterical at the moment. "I'm sorry. It's been a crazy couple of days."

"Who the hell is Danny Zuko?"

"Nobody. Just a character in a story. The similarities, though. Wow. Does that make me Sandy?" And then Logan is gone again into a giggle fit.

James just shakes his head and pays the attendant, waiting for Logan to calm down. "You sure you're okay? If I kiss you and you start that laughing thing, I'm gonna take it personally."

"Oh, don't you worry about that. Laughing will be the last thing on my mind when you kiss me."

"Good to know." James drives around to the right screen, parking in the last row. "This should do it. You wanna wait here or come with me for popcorn?"

"I think it's best if I wait here, though I actually would rather go with you."

"So come with me."

"We might be seen."

"I'm starting to not care so much about that. What people think of me."

"Really? When did that happen?"

"I guess about the time I met you."

"Oh." Logan swallows, overcome with the need to kiss James, to hold James in his arms. "Go. I'll wait here."

When James is gone, Logan reaches down to his pocket, desperate to see pictures of his own James suddenly. He feels his empty pocket and panics, then remembers he had to leave his phone behind; he doesn't even have his wallet, which also has pictures. "Damn, I miss you," he whispers, deciding to put more effort into getting home. Starting tomorrow, he's not wasting any more time. He'll ditch school if he has to, but he's determined to get home to his friends, to James. This James is incredible, but he's not _Logan's_ James. Somehow he feels more like _Kendall's_ James, and as much as Logan is enjoying the rental, he knows he'll have to return this James once Kendall swallows his stupid pride and realizes how much he misses James.

"Hey! You must be Logan!"

Logan looks up in surprise at the face staring in at him. "Carlos!" Without even thinking, Logan shoves the door open and tackles Carlos with a hug, so happy to see him he can't stand it.

"Um. Whoa. Hey." Carlos pushes him away, looking around quickly.

"Oh gosh. I'm sorry. I. Uh. Just uh. Really good to meet you. James has told me a little about you."

"Wow, he must have said some pretty neat stuff for you to greet me like that."

"Yeah, you're special." Logan can't stop grinning, he had no idea he missed Carlos so much, but of course he did; even before coming here, he'd missed Carlos because Carlos was never around unless he had to be. "Look at you in your leather jacket!"

Carlos starts to back away slowly.

"Wait. Carlos. I'm sorry. Please don't leave. I've had a rough few days and it's just nice to see a..." Logan sighs, knowing he can't explain it. "Never mind."

"Oh, James said you lost your family. I'm really sorry."

"Thank you. So uh...you here with your girlfriend?"

"Yeah, she's getting the snacks. I like to cruise around and see who I can see, you know? I saw James' car, figured I'd come say hi. But I found you instead."

"So James mentioned me?"

"Today at school. He said he was gonna try to get you to come here with him." Carlos leans in to whisper, "He really likes you, you know."

Logan blushes. "Yeah, I know. I'm surprised that you know."

"I don't have a problem with that. And I'm good at keeping secrets."

"Really." The Carlos Logan knows is absolutely the worst at keeping secrets. "You keep secrets?"

"Heck yeah! I haven't even told anybody about the time James kissed Ken-" Carlos' eyes bug out and he claps a hand over his mouth. "Oh shit! Shit! Shit!"

And just like that, it all falls into place. James kissed Kendall. Who knows what happened after that, but Logan has a pretty good idea that's what caused the fallout between them. "When, Carlos? When did that happen?"

"Nuh uh! You ain't getting me to say anything else! Damn! James is gonna kill me! Please don't tell him I told you! Please!"

"I won't say anything, it's fine. I swear. Carlos, calm down. Your secret's safe with me. But when?"

"Why do you want to know? You want to make things even worse between them?"

"No, I'm trying to make them better. James misses Kendall, right?"

"Oh man, he talks about Kendall in his sleep. And sometimes he gets real sad, but he tries to hide it. Kendall's a jerk, won't even talk to him."

"Because of the kiss? Did Kendall get mad when James kissed him?"

"I don't know everything, it was before I started hanging out with James. He only said he kissed Kendall, that Kendall's the only guy he ever wanted to kiss, so he did it and now they don't talk. Although I think he'd really like to kiss you. And he needs someone, Logan. I'm not trying to scare you away, but if you could just let him kiss you and not freak out, that would help him a lot."

Logan is trying not to find this conversation ridiculous, but his lips twitch anyway. "I'll keep that in mind, Carlos. If James kisses me, kiss him back. Got it."

"Really? You'd do that for him?"

"It's not a hardship. Trust me. But he's still in love with Kendall, isn't he?"

Carlos' face falls. "Yeah, I think so. I'm sorry."

"It's...actually okay. I want to get them talking again. I think Kendall misses James too, even if he won't admit it."

"Ah, there's my lady." Carlos' eyes light up and his face is plastered with the goofiest grin.

_Please don't let it be Camille. I can't deal with Camille right now, not even as Carlos' girlfriend. _But when Logan turns back to look, he's pleasantly surprised to find Stephanie King approaching.

"Hi, my little lambchop. Did you get extra butter?"

"Of course I did. I know what my man likes."

"Isn't she amazing?" Carlos asks, eyes still misty.

Logan shakes his head. "Hello, I'm Logan."

"Stephanie. Hi. Are you here with a date?"

"Um. No. James."

"James?" Her eyebrows lift in surprise. "I saw him at the snack bar, figured he was here to tag along with us. You two are welcome to join us, if you want."

"No, I think we're good where we are. But thanks. You two go have fun."

"Oh, we will. Come on, Carlos." She links arms with him and drags him off, but he looks back over his shoulder.

"Remember! I said nothing!"

"Understood, Carlos." With a chuckle, Logan settles himself in the car again, head spinning.

So James kissed Kendall. And Kendall probably freaked out, didn't know how to deal with it, and next thing you know he's making new friends. And what would that do to James? Devastate him.

Logan doesn't know for sure this is how it went down, but it's probably close to the way it all happened.

_Oh, James. I'm so sorry. You still love him, and you hate yourself for it. Hate him._

Logan is reminded of Kendall saying he hated James—every second of every day. For kissing him? For ruining the friendship they had? For showing Kendall he could live without him?

_You two are so stupid. So stubborn._

"Hey, can you get the door?"

Logan's attention is drawn to the voice, to the beautiful young man standing at the window, and his heart stops because truly, James is breathtaking. Everything about him, his hair, his lips, his eyes, his smile...and most importantly that big heart that he tries to hide most of the time. _I love you. I love you so much. And you don't belong to me, you belong to Kendall. I need my James, need the one who needs me the way you need Kendall._

Fighting back the tears once again, Logan leans over and pushes the door open, clearing his throat.

"So...miss me?"

Logan smiles instantly. _More than you know, beautiful. More than you know._ He reaches out to grab the bucket of popcorn while James sets the drinks inside carefully, then scoots into his seat. "Maybe."

"I think you did."

"I met Carlos."

"Yeah? I saw Stephanie inside, that's his girl. She's pretty cool."

"She is. Seems to be good for him."

"Yeah, he's really happy. I'm happy for him. And she doesn't mind if I tag along, but I try not to do it a lot, you know?"

"It would be easier if you had a...someone."

James smirks at Logan. "Kinda working on that."

And here it is again, that urge to pull James in for a kiss. He sees it in James' eyes, that James is thinking the same thing, but neither moves; instead they gaze at each other, hesitating for different reasons.

A chorus of scattered applause erupts around them and they look forward to see that the screen is in motion. Logan notes that it's finally dark as well, and relaxes some. He's still terrified someone's going to look at him and figure out immediately that he's from the future.

"Once the movie starts, I'm getting you in the backseat."

Heat swims through Logan's body. "Shit, James."

"We don't have much time, gotta get you home by ten."

"I know." Why can't Logan breathe suddenly? He licks his lips, then remembers the soda in front of him and sucks some of it down. They can't do this, not now that he knows James is in love with Kendall. It just wouldn't be right.

And yet once again, James is here next to him offering. Kendall's not around. He's trying so hard to keep the two Jameses separate in his head, but when he looks into those hazel eyes that are the exact same eyes he fell in love with, it's hard. He wants to spend "quality" time with James, wants it more than he's ever wanted anything in his life.

"You still okay with that?"

"Yes. More than okay with it." But he shouldn't be. All it's going to do is make things harder, more messy between James and Kendall, but when James' hand slides up his thigh he can't bring himself to care. "James," he whispers, eyes closing.

"Come on. Movie's on." James flips himself over the long seat, managing to squeeze through the small space between the seat and the roof.

Logan doesn't hesitate to follow.

James is already on his back, reaching up to pull Logan down over him, and Logan shushes his brain to allow his body to take over. His lips are hot on James' and they both sigh in relief at finally getting to do this again.

"You're an asshole!"

Logan sits up fast because the voice sounded like it was in the car with them. And it sounded like... "Kendall?"

"Aw come on, Knight, can't you just leave us alone for five minutes?"

"No! Because you're an asshole and I knew that's what you were up to, knew you wanted something from him!"

"Kendall. Calm down." Logan's biggest fear is that he'll create a scene and ruin both their reputations, his and James'. Logan couldn't care less about his own.

"I told you, Logan! Told you he was after you!"

"I know, Kendall. Will you just get in the car so we can talk about this?"

"No way! I'm not getting in his house of sleaze!"

"House of...for the love of God, Kendall, get in the car! Now!"

"Fine!" Kendall pulls the door open and slams it after he's seated in the passenger's seat, then turns to them. "But I warned you, didn't I? I tried to tell you."

"Kendall, it's okay. I-"

"In case you hadn't noticed, Knight, he wasn't fighting me. He seems to like me just fine."

"He doesn't—he can't-"

"Kendall. Hey. Listen to me," Logan says soothingly. "I'm okay with it. And if you're not, that's your problem, not ours."

"He took you up on the hill today, didn't he? I knew it! James, how could you?"

"This has nothing to do with you, Kendall. Nothing at all. It's between me and Logan, so butt out."

"It's my job to look after him, James. I'm not gonna let you-"

"STOP IT. BOTH OF YOU." Once again, Logan has had enough. "I swear to God, I will walk home and leave you both here to fight it out."

Wide eyes are turned on him. "You should never swear to God, Logan. That's blasphemy."

Logan groans in frustration. "That's not the point."

"Kendall's right, Logan. Swearing to God will send you to Hell. You should go to confession tomorrow. I'll take you after school."

_Unbelievable._ But at least they're agreeing on something for once. "Look, forget I said that. You two need to knock this shit off because all it's doing is hurting you, and hurting your friends in the process."

"What friends?" James asks.

"Me, to start with. I can't stand seeing you two like this."

"Then Kendall needs to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere without Logan."

"Jesus Christ, just shut up! Both of you!" Logan's about to pull his hair out.

Now they both gasp. "Logan, really, you need to be careful what you say," James chastises. "You're going to Hell at this rate."

"That's it. I'm done. I'm out." Logan climbs over the seat and into the driver's side.

"Where are you going?" James asks.

"Away from you two."

"This is all your fault, Knight! We were having a great time until you showed up! Can't you let me be happy, just once? You didn't want me, why can't you let someone else have me?"

"I'm not talking about that with you. Just let it go, James."

"Then you let _me_ go! Quit trying to ruin my one chance at happiness!"

"I'm not ruining anything for you! It's Logan I'm worried about, because he doesn't know you and-"

"Kendall, just take me home," Logan interrupts. "I'm assuming you have a car?"

"I borrowed Mom's."

"Logan, you're leaving with him? If you want to go home, I'll take you. Please don't go with him. Please."

Logan looks back and forth between the two of them, so tired suddenly. He just wants to go to bed and start over tomorrow. "I don't care who takes me home. Somebody needs to, though."

"Since he lives with me, I'm taking him." Kendall smirks at James, who doesn't give him the satisfaction of a reaction. Instead he looks at Logan as if he's about to cry, and why is Logan always making James cry lately?

"James, I-"

"Kendall! You have to come home, now! Both of you!"

And now Katie's here? What is this, a Palm Woods reunion night?

"Katie, what are you doing here?" Kendall asks.

"Camille brought me. You have to come home, it's really important."

_Camille. Camille's here. I'm so not ready for her right now._

"Where is she?" Kendall questions.

"She's at the entrance, I snuck in to find you while she distracted them. You really need to come home, we have to talk."

"Is Mom okay?"

"She's fine, just...come on!"

"Come on, Logan," Kendall says, opening the door and stepping out.

Logan hesitates, looking back at James.

"Logan, come on!"

James won't meet his eyes. "You better go. Your friend's calling you."

"James, I-"

"Just go."

"I'm not choosing him over you. But something happened and-"

"I don't even care, Logan. Both of you can just get out of here."

Logan stares at James, stunned. It's like he's living in a memory, the same situation resulting in the same outcome. This time he's determined to make it right, though. "Listen, we need to talk. Can we get together tomorrow sometime?"

"Guys, come on! They're trying to get rid of Camille, we gotta go!"

"Logan!" Kendall calls out. "Will you forget about him so we can go?"

"James, please," Logan tries. "Can we talk tomorrow?"

James shrugs. "Go on. If anything's wrong with Mrs. Knight, you let me know."

"I will. I swear." That's as much as he's going to get out of James tonight. With a sigh, Logan steps out of the car and follows Kendall to his, Katie jumping in with them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes:** Anyone reading this knows that Nickelodeon owns the rights to Big Time Rush, right? I just like to play chess with the boys, moving them around as I see fit.

So one night I was at the mall and heard a song that sounded like something out of a 50's diner. I suddenly had a vision of Kendall and James as rival gang leaders and it wouldn't leave me alone. The final product is quite a bit different than my original vision, but it was inspired by both _Grease_ and _Back to the Future_, two fabulous movies that take me back to my childhood because I have such great memories of watching them with friends and family. If you haven't seen them, you really should.

Dedication on this one goes to **PromiseMeTheStars **because she is such a cheerleader and kept pushing me to continue it after I'd decided to give up on it. She's still bugging me with "Did you write anymore of your story? :D" **Aranelle** did the same thing, and I love them both for encouraging me when I thought this story had no place to go. Turns out it had two different places to go, but at least everyone will end up happy. I think. Because they always do in my world.

**Gleechild** gave me the push to start this in the first place, and she's already helped me with two scenes in this story just from her reviews alone. KEEP REVIEWING ME, SHARON. YOU'RE WRITING THIS WITH ME. **Aranelle** made a pact with me—we agreed that if she'd write her Kendall/James gangster fic, I'd write this one. She made good on her end of the bargain, so I had to follow through. AND YOU SHOULD ALL GO READ HER FIC BECAUSE I LOVE IT AND I LOVE HER AND IT'S JUST SO GOOD IT MADE ME CRY. It's titled "Call Me a Sinner, Call Me a Saint."

I don't even know why I'm still rambling here. I'll shut up now. But thank you for reading and I hope you like it!

XXXXX

"Now what's this all about, Katie?" Kendall asks.

"You'll see. Just get us home."

They pull out of the drive-in and Logan looks to his right to see Camille arguing with the attendant, holding up a line of cars just so Katie has free rein to run amok. Katie calls her name, and after looking over she hops into her car and pulls away, turning around to follow them out. At the stop sign she pulls up next to them.

"Thanks, Camille!" Katie yells.

"Anytime! So you're the new cutie in town?"

Logan blushes. "I'm Logan. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, the pleasure's all mine," Camille grins. "See you at school tomorrow?"

"Uh...probably?"

"I look forward to it. Bye, guys!"

Kendall scowls at Logan after she pulls away. "Is everyone after you?"

"I'm...sorry?"

"Like having James isn't enough?"

"What, you want Camille? She's all yours."

"So it _was_ a date!" Katie exclaims. "I knew it!"

They had both forgotten she was even there. Kendall turns scared eyes to her. "Katie, it wasn't, they were just two friends hanging out for the night."

"Save it, big brother. We have more important things to discuss."

"Tell me what's going on."

"Just get us home, I'll show you."

Logan feels her eyes on him from behind the entire way home, and his fears kick into overdrive. _She knows. She's figured it out. Damn her, she's too smart for her own good. They're gonna stick me in a lab and dissect me, I just know it._

But maybe he's overreacting. Maybe this has nothing at all to do with him.

"Why are you starting something with James if you're just gonna leave?" Kendall asks, surprising Logan. "He's been hurt before, I wouldn't want to see him go through that again."

Logan blinks at Kendall in shock. After deciding that he really did hear that right, he asks, "Who hurt him before?"

"Not important. But he acts a lot tougher than he is. He gets hurt easily."

"I know that, Kendall. I didn't think you knew it, though."

"I know James better than anybody. Even if we haven't been friends in a long time."

Logan knows that voice, it's Kendall's sad voice. He used it when Jo left, when all he wanted was to have her back. "Why can't you just admit you miss him, that you made a mistake?" he asks gently.

"Because. He hates me now. I was an asshole and if he never talks to me again, it's what I deserve."

"He misses you, Kendall."

"No, he doesn't. You heard him. He said Carlos is the best friend he's ever had."

"He just said that to hurt you. Because _he_ was hurt. He's not the most mature person when it comes to feelings."

"Yeah, well...I wasn't either. Not when I needed to be."

"Oh my God. You're in love with him, aren't you?"

"What? Hell no. I just-"

"Kendall, it's okay. It's more than okay. If you two would just-"

"I'm not in love."

"Hey!" Katie interrupts. "Can we talk about this later? We're home now. And Kendall, you're an idiot. You love James and you're too stupid to admit it."

"Shut up, Katie! You don't know anything!"

"And how are you okay with all this?" Logan asks her. "You're ten years old and living in a world where being a fag is enough to get you beaten to death."

"I'm a free thinker. Rules are for chumps."

Kendall rolls his eyes. "Just keep your mouth shut, okay? Nobody needs to know about any of this."

"Fine. But Logan's right. Even if James likes _him_, he likes you more. Sorry, Logan."

"It's fine. It's also true."

"You're leaving soon anyway, right Logan?" Katie presses. "Gotta get back home?"

_Oh crap. She totally knows. Why isn't she freaking out? _"I haven't figured that out yet."

"Kendall, come on. I gotta show you something." Katie hops out of the car and they follow, but she tells Logan to wait in the living room.

They're gone for ten minutes, in which Logan tells himself not to panic and that he's overreacting. And if he's not, what then? What would Kendall do?

Logan knows as soon as Kendall comes into the room, though-his secret's out. Kendall is staring at him as if he's an alien, keeping his distance. Katie follows with both his wallet and cell phone in her small hands.

"Um. Katie thinks...well. She's crazy but she thinks..."

"Don't bother lying, Logan, we know you're from the future!"

"Katie, be quiet! Don't wake up mom!"

Logan stands there speechless and terrified, aware that Kendall will see right through him if he tries to lie.

"Logan, this license. It says..."

"I know."

"What's it like there? Does everybody fly in spaceship cars? Does money grow on trees?"

"Katie, enough!"

"Aww come on! You know you want to ask questions, too!"

"Is it true, Logan? Are you..." Kendall shakes his head at the absurdity of the idea.

When Logan doesn't answer, fighting the urge to run for his life, Katie answers for him. "Of course it's true. Look at this cool thing!" She holds up his phone. "What is it, Logan?"

"It's a phone."

"A phone? Like the one we talk on? Wow!"

Kendall makes a frustrated noise. "Come on, let's talk out back." He takes the phone and wallet from Katie and passes them to Logan. "Here."

Logan licks his lips and follows Kendall out into the backyard, away from the house to sit on an old swing.

"So what's going on? Is it true? Are you from the future?"

Kendall doesn't sound accusing or scared, just honestly curious. Logan reminds himself that Kendall is level-headed and will hopefully not freak out. "It's...complicated."

"How complicated can it be? You either are or you're not."

"Okay, then yes. I am."

Neither speaks for a few moments as they stare at each other, Logan's heart like a jackhammer in his chest.

"Are you going to tell everyone?"

"No, but Katie might. We'll have to talk to her."

"Or pay her," Logan jokes, trying to break the tension.

"Yeah, that might work," Kendall laughs. "But Logan...how? Where are you from?"

"Minnesota originally. But here. In my time, the bank is a hotel that we live in."

"We? So your family is alive?"

_Shit. Okay, no more slip-ups, Logan. _"Yeah. I didn't know how to explain things, so I lied. I'm sorry."

Kendall nods slowly. "And you're trying to get back? What happened to your...I mean, is there a contraption of some kind?"

"It was in the hotel. The bank, I mean. That's why I freaked out when the building was destroyed. Now I'm stuck."

Logan stays quiet for a bit after that, letting Kendall absorb it all.

"What are you gonna do? Just find relatives and try to make a life here?"

"I'm going to rebuild the machine. I need parts, though, and I don't know if I can find them in this era."

"Yeah, that's not gonna be easy. But I'll help in any way I can. Whatever it takes, we'll get you home. I promised you that the day we met, remember?"

Logan smiles. "I remember. I was so happy to see you."

"Yeah? Why me?"

"Because I wasn't alone."

"Never."

Logan smiles again and reaches out to hug Kendall. "I couldn't ask for a better friend."

"Don't forget it."

Relief floods through Logan as he pulls back from the hug. He's no longer alone in this. Kendall will figure it out, because Kendall always does.

"So what next?" Kendall asks.

"I need to get back to the library and see what I can find. Where to get the supplies I'll be needing."

"The machine is completely gone? Nothing left of it?"

"I imagine, I mean-well, it was in the basement. I didn't even think of that, there might be some of it left intact. Don't know how we'd get to it, though."

"Leave that to me. I'll get you in there. I'm sure Katie would be happy to help, too. She's actually a great kid."

"Yeah, she is. Your mom's been so nice."

"She is not gonna let up on the school thing, though. Not unless you tell her everything."

Logan shakes his head. "The less people who know, the better."

"Not even James?" Kendall questions, sounding a bit catty.

_Here we go again._ "You two really need to kiss and make up."

Kendall's eyes narrow at Logan's choice of words. "I told you. He doesn't want anything to do with me."

"Yes, he does. What happened when he kissed you, Kendall? What did you do?"

Kendall stares at Logan in surprise. "He told you about that?"

"No. And it doesn't matter who did."

"Are we famous in the future? Is that how you know, are there books about us?"

Logan laughs. There's no way he can explain the situation, or that they are indeed famous. "I just know. So what happened?"

Kendall shrugs, embarrassed. "I wasn't expecting it. He kind of ambushed me. I hadn't ever thought of him that way, so I maybe reacted a bit harshly."

"Did you make him feel like a freak, Kendall?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I made sure he knew I wasn't into that sort of thing."

Logan nods. "And then went out and made new friends? Distanced yourself?"

"I don't know. I guess. You're shrinking me again."

"Somebody has to in order to get you two talking again. You miss him, don't you?"

Kendall looks down. "Every second of every day," he says softly.

Logan allows him some time before speaking. "You should tell him. I know he misses you, too."

"Even if he does, he won't ever forgive me. I screwed up pretty bad, Logan."

"Have you ever apologized? Told him you're sorry for pushing him away?"

"No. After I made the football team, we stopped talking. He was pissed off at me for doing it."

"But why? He probably could've made the team, too."

"He definitely would have, if he tried out. But he didn't want to. Said it was stupid. Said he didn't need to be on a team to play sports, that the two of us was enough. And when I pushed it, kept asking him why he was so against me trying out...he kissed me. It uh...pretty much fell apart after that."

"I think he was afraid to lose you. Didn't want to share you, because you might meet someone more exciting, someone you liked more than him."

"I've never met anyone like James. I never will. He's...incredible. And when he sings, when he loses himself in a song. It's beautiful. _He's_ beautiful. And I lost him, Logan. I'll never have that back."

"Maybe not what you had, but what about something better?"

Kendall shakes his head. "It's all about you now. He likes you a lot, I can tell. And you like him, too, so I don't get why you want us together."

Logan shrugs. "Because it's right. And I've got my own guy waiting for me back in my time. If I can ever get there."

"Really? You have a guy?"

"I think so. I wasn't sure if he felt the same way, but...now I'm pretty sure. And I miss him so much, he's probably going crazy without me, probably thinks I'm dead."

"Are things different in the future? The year 2000 seems like a whole other lifetime from this one."

"Well, it basically is. It's crazy how much has changed even from the year 2000 to where I'm at, 2011. The changes come faster as time goes on. But yeah, things are a lot different. Though some things never change, I guess," Logan says with a smirk, thinking of his own James and Kendall and their incessant bickering.

"Are things easier in your time? For two guys to be together?"

"Yes and no. It's still not accepted by everyone, but it's a lot better than it is in this time. In some states, you can even marry a same-sex partner."

Kendall's eyes bug out. "What? I could actually marry James if I lived in your time?"

Logan can't help but smile. "Do you realize what you just said?"

Kendall blushes, which is something Logan's only seen a handful of times in his life. "I didn't say I wanted to, just thought it would be cool if I could. If anybody could, really."

"Well, if you lived in the right state, you could. California legalized it for a while, but then they took it back. I think eventually the federal government will step in and make an amendment or something. I'm hoping, anyway, because someday I'd really like to marry the guy I love. Whether it be Ja-" He bites his tongue, knowing he can't give that away; he doesn't even understand how it's possible for them to exist in two time periods, there's no way he can explain it to Kendall.

"What's his name? Jason?"

"Yes."

"Don't you feel weird making out with James when you're in love with this Jason guy?"

"It's hard to explain. They're a lot alike. James reminds me of him, so much more than you can imagine."

"So that's why you went for him so fast. You guys just met and already you're letting him kiss you. I thought that was weird."

"I know, and I like your James so much, he's incredible, but he's just that—_your_ James. Not mine."

"He's not mine. Lost him ages ago. Logan, do you really think I could get him back? Do you think there's a chance?"

"Kendall Knight, I think you could do anything you want to. Once you set your mind on something and go after it, there's no doubt you'll get it. Unless you choose to let it go," he adds, thinking of Jo. "Don't let James go. It's not too late."

"But how? He won't even talk to me."

"So let's find a reason for you two to work together. How about I tell James the truth about me, and then we all work together to get me home?"

Kendall is already shaking his head. "No way. He probably wouldn't even believe you."

"I think he would. And I know he'd help. He's already offered that, without knowing everything. He's a good person, Kendall. You should know that better than anyone." _Except me, that is._

"I know he used to be, but he's changed so much. I don't even know him anymore."

"Trust me. He hasn't changed all that much. He puts on a tough-guy act around you, because he doesn't want you to know he still has feelings for you, that he still cares."

"Well, his act _is_ fooling me. He _acts _like an asshole."

"And you don't?"

Kendall shrugs, looking away.

"So you've changed your mind about not wanting him that way? Decided maybe it's not such a bad thing?"

"I realized it when I kept having dreams about him. We weren't even speaking anymore but I'd see him at school and he was so beautiful, and I'd dream about him singing to me and kissing me and wake up so hard I couldn't go back to sleep without—well. You know. But it was too late then."

"It's not, Kendall. I promise. You guys work out a truce to help me with this, and I guarantee by the time I leave, you'll at least be friends again."

Kendall nods slowly. "I hope you're right about him still having feelings for me. If you are, then I know I can get him back. As long as there's still some part of the old James in there, I can get him."

Logan grins, relieved that at least one of them is willing to try. "I'm right. Just don't hate me for making out with your guy."

"He wasn't mine then. But he is now, so hands off."

"Can I at least get a goodbye kiss out of him before I go? I'd really like that." There's still the fear of dying in transit, and the last thing Logan wants before he goes is a taste of those lips so the memory can see him through.

Kendall hesitates, but finally answers. "I suppose. No tongue, though."

"You got it. I'll behave. But by then he may not even want to kiss me. He'll just want you."

"I sure hope so. Okay!" Kendall claps his hands together and stands up. "So tomorrow we're skipping out of class as soon as we can, taking James with us and heading to that bank. Or what's left of it. We'll have to leave Katie at school, though she's not gonna like that."

"She can help us with other stuff after school."

"And I really think it's a waste of time to let Mom enroll you in school. Possibly a bad idea as well, because the more people who know you, the more danger of you being found out."

"I agree, but how do we get out of it?"

"We disappear. Once she gets us to the school, we find James and take off."

"She's gonna be so pissed, Kendall."

"She'll get over it. Hopefully we can get far tomorrow so that we don't have to figure out a way to get out of it the next day, too."

"There's no way in hell it'll be ready that fast."

"We'll worry about that when the time comes. For now, let's just...oh, hell, let's do it right now."

"What?"

"Let's go down there now. You have a little flashlight, right? I saw it with your stuff."

"Yeah, but you want to sneak out now?"

"It'll be easier now than tomorrow, when it's light outside. Plus we can take Katie with us. Though we have to go find James, too. But that won't be hard, I know where to find him."

"Really? This late at night?"

"Yeah, he always goes down to the beach when he's upset. And I'm sure he's pretty upset right now."

"You seem to still know a lot about him, for someone who doesn't talk to him anymore."

Kendall shrugs again. "Just because we don't talk doesn't mean I don't still watch over him."

Logan smiles, shaking his head. "I should've known that."

"You go get Katie. I'm gonna push the car down the block so Mom doesn't hear it when I start it up. Meet me there. And grab all your stuff, just in case!"

"On it." Logan can't help but laugh at Kendall's sudden hurry to get rid of him; it's a sign that he truly does plan to win James back.

XXXXX


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:** Anyone reading this knows that Nickelodeon owns the rights to Big Time Rush, right? I just like to play chess with the boys, moving them around as I see fit.

So one night I was at the mall and heard a song that sounded like something out of a 50's diner. I suddenly had a vision of Kendall and James as rival gang leaders and it wouldn't leave me alone. The final product is quite a bit different than my original vision, but it was inspired by both _Grease_ and _Back to the Future_, two fabulous movies that take me back to my childhood because I have such great memories of watching them with friends and family. If you haven't seen them, you really should.

Dedication on this one goes to **PromiseMeTheStars **because she is such a cheerleader and kept pushing me to continue it after I'd decided to give up on it. She's still bugging me with "Did you write anymore of your story? :D" **Aranelle** did the same thing, and I love them both for encouraging me when I thought this story had no place to go. Turns out it had two different places to go, but at least everyone will end up happy. I think. Because they always do in my world.

**Gleechild** gave me the push to start this in the first place, and she's already helped me with two scenes in this story just from her reviews alone. KEEP REVIEWING ME, SHARON. YOU'RE WRITING THIS WITH ME. **Aranelle** made a pact with me—we agreed that if she'd write her Kendall/James gangster fic, I'd write this one. She made good on her end of the bargain, so I had to follow through. AND YOU SHOULD ALL GO READ HER FIC BECAUSE I LOVE IT AND I LOVE HER AND IT'S JUST SO GOOD IT MADE ME CRY. It's titled "Call Me a Sinner, Call Me a Saint."

**ALSO.** Taking a moment here to address two questions I get asked all the time, so I'm just gonna throw this out there. I get a lot of "Why don't you write more of Carlos in your stories?" The truth is I don't quite have a good grasp on Carlos. I can't get into his head the way I can with James, Kendall, and Logan, and so when I try to write him it always feels flat and plastic to me. There are other writers who do an incredible job with him, and I just feel like I don't do him justice, so I don't include him a whole lot in my fics. Exception to that is "Minnesota Wild," where he ended up being a pretty big part of it and in that one instance, I knew exactly who he was and what he wanted.

The other question is similar, why don't I include Kendall in most of my Jagan fics? The thing with Kendall is...he makes demands. I couldn't even make it through all of "The Permanent One" without bringing his name up, and that was completely AU. In "I Would Scream to the World" (which isn't posted here, but is on my LJ), a lot of people really wanted Kendall to be in it somehow and I had to resist that. Because once you bring Kendall in, he takes over. This story is a perfect example. Did I ever intend for James to end up with Kendall? Not at all. But as I wrote the two of them arguing with each other in the past, Kendall informed me that he had a past with James and that he still loved him. I argued with him, said no—James belongs to Logan. He kept demanding to have James for himself, so I compromised by giving him James in the past. He changes the story every single time! Every author I've ever talked to who writes Kendall agrees with me on that—if Kendall ain't happy, nobody's happy. He always gets his way. And he always ends up wanting everyone for himself. So I have to leave him out sometimes in order to write a nice love story.

And that's about it. Just answering that because I do hear it a lot, but not complaining! I'm just grateful you guys read my stories at all. :D A short little chapter here to get them where they need to be. Almost done, guys! Thanks for sticking with me.

* * *

><p>They find James near the pier, Kendall knowing exactly where to go and leaving Logan wondering how many times Kendall has come down here at night to spy on him. He's sitting on the sand as he stares out at the water in his jacket and tight jeans, and all Logan can think as he approaches is how much he misses James' messy hair. At first the slicked-back look was a novelty, but after two days (has it really only been two days?) all he wants to do is run his fingers through the soft strands, knowing he's probably the only person in the world James would allow to do that—at least in <em>his<em> time. For a brief moment he wonders if they would've made it in this time, if he'd lived past childhood, would they be together instead of James and Kendall, but it's not even worth considering; this James and this Kendall belong to each other and always will, even if Logan was to stay here.

He sits on the sand next to James and wraps his arms around his knees. "Hey."

"I'm not interested in talking to you right now, Logan."

Okay, this is going to be harder than Logan thought. "Then how about I talk to you?"

"What's the matter, Kendall isn't enough for you? You got bored with him already?"

"James, Kendall isn't what I want."

"Obviously neither am I or you wouldn't have left with him."

"That's not fair. You heard Katie, something big was going down. I had to go."

James shrugs, still not looking at Logan. "So is Mrs. Knight okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine, it was actually me that Katie was freaking out about."

"You?" Now he glances over. "What's there to freak out about? And what does that even mean?"

Logan smiles. "It means she was...I don't know, freaking out. Like excited and spazzing and—never mind, everything I say just makes it worse."

"She was having kittens, maybe?"

"I guess that works. Katie was having kittens over me, yeah," Logan chuckles. "This conversation is inane."

"More words I don't understand."

Logan laughs because even his James wouldn't get that one.

"So where's your buddy? I'm surprised he let you out of his sight for five minutes."

"He's over in the car with Katie. I need your help, James. You said all I had to do was ask. Is that still true?"

James is silent, the sound of waves crashing the only audible thing for a few moments.

"Please, James. I really need you."

"What do you need?"

"I need you to help us break into a condemned site. That old bank across from the drugstore."

James' head swivels over in shock. "Really? You want to break into something?"

"It's important. I need something I left in there the day I arrived."

"Logan, anything you might've left in there is gone. The place is demolished."

"I know, but this thing was underground, so I'm hoping maybe part of it is still there."

"What the hell is so important you need to go into a wrecked building for?"

"I'm not sure you'll believe me if I tell you."

"I'll believe anything you tell me. You're not a liar, I know that much by now. Is it something having to do with your parents?"

"No, it's...God, I don't even know where to start, James."

"Your parents aren't dead, are they? Did you make up everything? Maybe I'm wrong about you not being a liar."

"I'm not a liar, I mean technically I am, but I _had_ to lie, and now I don't even know how to tell you everything and now_ I'm_ freaking out and I just-"

The kiss surprises him, quieting his voice as he sinks into it, because it's James, it's the one he loves and nothing is better than being kissed by James. His hand comes up to cup James' cheek, keeping him there, and then James does the same before common sense returns and Logan pulls back, feeling like he's in a fog.

"Better?" James asks softly.

"I guess." It takes everything in Logan to stand up and distance himself from James, because all he wants to do is lay James back onto the sand and kiss him senseless all night, which would be counter-productive in every possible way.

James' shoulders fall and Logan knows he's again thinking he's being rejected.

"I don't want to fall for you because I'm leaving. Hopefully soon. But if I stayed, there's no question I'd want you, James. Don't ever doubt that."

James looks up with sad eyes. "Then why don't you stay? We could be good together, I know it."

"We already are. But it's not meant to be, neither of us would be happy without the one we belong to."

"I don't belong to anybody."

"Yes, you do. You belong to Kendall, just like he belongs to you. Don't give me that look, I know you're still in love with him, and I know he hurt you, but-"

"You don't know anything about it, Logan." James stands up and turns to walk away.

"I know enough. James, stop. Please." He reaches out to grab James' arm but James shakes it off.

"So you don't want me because you think I want Kendall?"

"No, I _do_ want you. But there's someone else. Someone I left behind. I need to get back to him, need to tell him how I feel and that we belong together. Just like you and Kendall belong together."

"Kendall hates me, Logan! Why can't you get that through your thick skull?"

"Because he doesn't! He just doesn't know how to tell you."

James shakes his head. "I'm not listening to any more of this. You don't know what I've been through with him. You don't know how much he hates me, how badly I messed up with him!"

"Okay, fine! I'll shut up about it!" The two of them sound like a mirror of each other and Logan knows he's not getting anywhere with James tonight; nothing he says will convince James at this point. "But I still need your help. Please. Help us get into that site."

"Why me?"

"Because you're good at being bad. Does that work?" It sounds ridiculous, and they both chuckle over it. "Just help me. I need him, James, need to get back to him or I'll go crazy." Inspiration strikes. "Would you like to see a picture of him?"

"Like I want to see a picture of a guy you're choosing over me? No, thanks."

"Come here." Logan pulls out his wallet and the flashlight, finding a picture Carlos took of them at the fair one night. Logan remembers being there "with" Camille, but his fondest memory of that night is when James won him that stupid teddy bear that the guys still tease him about—the one he doesn't sleep without. "Look. He won this for me at the fair."

James can't fight the curiosity and comes over to look at it, immediately frowning. "He's handsome. Really handsome. Looks a lot like me, actually. Wow, he _really_ looks like me, except with bad hair. What kind of picture is this? I've never seen one so clear and bright."

Logan ignores that question. "Now do you see why I fell for you so quickly? You're the spitting image of the guy I love, the guy who's waiting for me back home."

"The guy who obviously adores you, look at the way he's looking at you with his arm around you like that. He won that for you?"

"He did," Logan grins. "He was pretty proud of himself, told everyone he could how he got it on the first try."

"Probably lied. He looks sneaky."

Logan laughs. "I was there, he did it on the first try." His smile dies as he stares at the picture. "I miss him so much. Please, James, help me. Help me find him again."

Finally James nods. "If he makes you happy, then let's get you back to him. You need me to drive you? I can disappear for a few weeks, no big deal."

"You are so wonderful to offer that, but I can't exactly drive there. Um." Logan looks around, making sure they're alone, and spies Kendall sitting on the hood of his car staring them down. "Oh, Jesus, Kendall, I'm not gonna rape him," he mutters under his breath.

"What?" James looks back as well, his eyes narrowing as they meet Kendall's.

"Did you know he comes out here and watches you all the time? Makes sure you're okay?"

"Kendall wouldn't do that."

"He does. Says that just because you two don't talk, it doesn't mean he can't still watch out for you. You gonna tell me he wouldn't do that, either?"

"He said that?"

Logan nods.

"It does sound like something he would do. The _old_ Kendall, anyway."

"The new Kendall isn't so different, James."

"I know what you're trying to do. Knock it off. Just tell me how to help you."

"I did. Let's see what we can find at the bank, and then we'll go from there."

"Fine, but I gotta tell Carlos I'm leaving."

"Carlos is here?"

"Yeah, he went to get some ice cream. Probably got sidetracked by corn dogs along the way."

"Sounds like Carlos," Logan grins. He pockets the wallet and spins to walk up the beach, stopping in surprise. "Or he's up there talking to Kendall."

"What?" James' eyes harden. "What are they talking about?"

"Let's go find out."

"James!" Carlos yells as they approach. "Kendall says we're going on an adventure! Well, if Logan says it's okay for me to go, too."

"It's perfectly fine, Carlos. You good at breaking things?"

"I'm the best."

For a second Logan is confused, waiting for Carlos to whip out a helmet and pat it onto his head, and when it doesn't happen he shakes his head. "I really need to get home."

"Can we do this now?" Katie yells from inside the car. "You guys are boring me, this is supposed to be exciting."

"Did you tell him?" Kendall questions.

"Not exactly," Logan answers. "Let's get in the car and we can all talk."

They pile in, Kendall and James in the front and Carlos and Logan in the back with Katie between them. It's actually Katie who breaks the news to Carlos and James, and Logan lets her go with it, not sure how to explain it himself anyway. When James expresses disbelief, Logan hands over the wallet and Katie demands his cell phone as further proof. They study both, Carlos accepting it easily once he realizes Kendall knows it to be true, but James is a harder sell.

"Told you," Kendall says when James continues to doubt.

Logan sighs. "Give him a minute, Kendall, it's a lot to take in."

"What, so I'm supposed to just accept it or I'm stupid, Knight?"

"He didn't say that," Logan starts before Kendall can answer.

"He thinks I'm stupid, I know that's what he's thinking."

"Nobody said anybody was stupid," Carlos tries, already seeing where this is going.

"But you do, though, right, Kendall?"

Kendall finally addresses him. "I don't think that at all, James. I think you're one of the smartest people I've ever known and any intelligent person would question it. No offense, Carlos."

But Carlos is too stunned by Kendall's answer to even realize he might've been insulted; they're all stunned, though Logan wants to pat Kendall on the back for taking that step toward James.

"It's just..." James manages, "...a little hard to believe."

"I know it is," Logan replies. He shows James everything in his wallet, even the lucky coin he keeps there that was minted the year of his birth. "You said I wasn't a liar, that you knew that much for sure. I'm not, James. I swear."

"If you don't believe him, let's go to the bank and find his time machine!" Katie urges. "Time's wasting, guys! If mom wakes up and finds us missing, she'll send out the coppers."

"I left her a note," Logan offers. "Told her I got a lead on some family and you begged to go, so we let you. Promised we wouldn't be gone too long."

"Smart. So let's go, then, guys! I want to see this thing!" Katie is practically jumping in the seat.

"Me, too!" Carlos agrees.

"We don't even know that any of it's left," Logan warns. "I'll probably have to start from scratch. Which means I'm stuck here for a long time, and I don't even want to think about that."

Kendall starts the car. "We won't know until we try, and we're getting you home."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes:** Anyone reading this knows that Nickelodeon owns the rights to Big Time Rush, right? I just like to play chess with the boys, moving them around as I see fit.

So one night I was at the mall and heard a song that sounded like something out of a 50's diner. I suddenly had a vision of Kendall and James as rival gang leaders and it wouldn't leave me alone. The final product is quite a bit different than my original vision, but it was inspired by both _Grease_ and _Back to the Future_, two fabulous movies that take me back to my childhood because I have such great memories of watching them with friends and family. If you haven't seen them, you really should.

Dedication on this one goes to **PromiseMeTheStars **because she is such a cheerleader and kept pushing me to continue it after I'd decided to give up on it. She's still bugging me with "Did you write anymore of your story? :D" **Aranelle** did the same thing, and I love them both for encouraging me when I thought this story had no place to go. Turns out it had two different places to go, but at least everyone will end up happy. I think. Because they always do in my world.

**Gleechild** gave me the push to start this in the first place, and she's already helped me with two scenes in this story just from her reviews alone. KEEP REVIEWING ME, SHARON. YOU'RE WRITING THIS WITH ME. **Aranelle** made a pact with me—we agreed that if she'd write her Kendall/James gangster fic, I'd write this one. She made good on her end of the bargain, so I had to follow through. AND YOU SHOULD ALL GO READ HER FIC BECAUSE I LOVE IT AND I LOVE HER AND IT'S JUST SO GOOD IT MADE ME CRY. It's titled "Call Me a Sinner, Call Me a Saint."

* * *

><p>It takes them the better part of the night to dig through the rubble, even though most of the surface debris has been cleared away. Katie keeps a lookout while the four work through to the basement level, each of them equipped with a flashlight since James apparently stockpiles them in his car. Part of Logan is amazed that these new friends are so willing to give up a night of sleep to get scraped up for him, but then he remembers who he's dealing with and knows that of course they would do this—as he would for them. Even in the past, they are a force to be reckoned with.<p>

James pulls him aside during a quick break, and Kendall watches them go with suspicious eyes but Logan calls back "Trust me!" and finally Kendall nods. James has been quiet during the night and Logan knows there's something on his mind, so he prepares himself as they sit near the fence, keeping Katie in view. "What's up?" he asks.

"Those pictures in your wallet. There were a couple of four guys."

Logan nods, heart sinking. He still doesn't know how to explain that.

"The Jason guy, he was there, but the other two..."

"Yeah."

"I'm not crazy, right? Did Kendall notice it, too?"

"Kendall hasn't seen the pictures. Well, he might have, but I didn't show him and he didn't bring it up."

"But it's them. It's us. _All _of us. How is that possible, Logan?"

"I honestly don't know. I came from a time when we were all together, best friends, and I showed up here to find all of you again. I don't know how that's possible or how we can all exist in two time periods. We even have the same names."

"No, his name is-"

"James."

"So you _are_ a liar then," James teases, but there's no malice behind it.

Logan chuckles. "His name is James Diamond and he's been my friend since I was a little kid. All of you have. Well, _they_ have."

"But you're not here now."

"I was. Kendall said I died, but you guys used to play with me."

James' eyes widen as it comes together. "Logan! Logan Mitchell! Oh man, we used to play together all the time! You were always telling us to be careful, not climb so high in the trees, but when we went up, you'd usually follow. I was so sad when you died."

"How did I...?"

"He didn't tell you? Kendall?"

"I didn't ask. He didn't even remember my name, so I figured you guys weren't all that close to him. Me, I mean."

"We only got a few months with you, but...you yelled at Kendall when he called me stupid once. I guess after that I felt pretty close to you. You um...got really sick. Some kind of flu or something. I went to see you right before, and you barely recognized me. Made me sad."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," James laughs. "You were dying, it's natural. But I'm happy to know you uh...lived on in some way. And that uh..."

"We ended up together?"

James nods. "I kind of feel guilty thinking that way."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"It's because of Kendall. Because you love him."

"You know something? I really wish I didn't."

"No, you don't."

"I do, Logan. It makes things hard. The past three years have been hell because I see him every day and I remember that fear on his face, I remember him telling me not to ever do that again."

"Was he disgusted when you kissed him? Did he push you away?"

"No, he just...was so shocked. And scared. I'll never forget that, how scared he looked. I hated that I did that to him, that I put him in that position. I didn't know how else to tell him, though, I couldn't find the words."

"Maybe you should try again, now that he's grown up some. Gotten a little more used to the idea."

"Yeah, right. He'd punch me this time."

"What if he didn't? What if he kissed you back?"

"He won't."

"Has he had girlfriends, James? Any at all?"

James shrugs. "Doesn't mean anything."

"Have you?"

"Doesn't matter."

"I think it does. I think he made a mistake that day and he knows it. I think he picks fights with you because it's better than not talking to you at all."

"So what am I like in the future?" James asks, changing the subject.

"You're ridiculous. Argumentative. Full of yourself. You love to look in mirrors and show off your body. Which is impressive, so I guess I get that."

"All that and you still love me?"

"You're also beautiful, and kind to those you care about, always there for your friends, a lot of fun to hang out with, and you get me out of my shell. You keep me on my toes, James. When I spend too much time wrapped up in my books, you drag me out to a movie or the pool. Even take me shopping, try to buy me 'better' clothes, because you hate what I wear. We spend a lot of time helping each other."

"In what way?"

"When one of us gets in a jam, the other is always there. It's like that with the four of us, really, but you and me...it's different. Special."

"And me and Kendall, there's no feelings between us?"

"You guys are best buddies, or at least you were until you and I fell for each other."

"Uh oh. Sounds like Kendall's jealous."

Logan shakes his head. "It's not like that. Now I see what that would look like, if he had feelings for one of us, but it's more...he feels lost. He had a girlfriend and they had to break up and he took it really hard. Needed me to be there for him and I was, but mostly I was all about you. That was hard for him. And you made it worse by making sure there was no doubt who I belonged to."

James shrugs. "Can't blame me."

"I guess not. The thing is, I never knew for sure you wanted me like that. I know it now, and I don't know how I doubted it, but...see, that's why I have to get home. I have to tell you, James. Have to let you know before it's too late."

"So we're not together?"

"Not yet. I plan to fix that the second I get home."

James grins slowly. "Let's get your ass home, then. I'm waiting for you."

"You'd better be." Logan reaches out to hug James, who hugs him back.

"Time to get back to work, boys. _Now_."

"Kendall, I'm not going to steal him away! Give us a break here!" Logan stands up, pulling James with him.

"No more breaks. Next time I might find you two kissing again."

"What's the matter, Knight? Jealous?"

"Hell yes, I'm jealous!" Kendall steps up to James without warning, pulling his face down for a kiss.

Logan's mouth drops but then he's grinning. "About time," he whispers, and then his mind starts fighting it; all he sees is Kendall kissing James, and even though they belong together, anyone else kissing James is a sight he never wants to see again. _I've gotta get home. Jesus, James, please be there when I do. Please let me get home, God, please._ The panic takes hold and he backs away, suddenly desperate to get to the time machine. _Please God, please!_

"Hey guys! Think I found something!"

Carlos' voice has Logan running. Sure enough, the top of the phone booth is visible through a cleared-away patch in the dirt. "That's it, that's it, guys, come on!"

Katie rushes over. "You found it? Let me see!"

"Nothing to see yet, Katie. Help me dig away more rubble."

"Where are the guys?" she asks.

Logan glances back toward the fence to see them in each others' arms, lips moving as they talk quietly. "They'll be here soon. And I think you'll be seeing a lot more of James from now on."

"It's about time! Kiss him, Kendall!"

Logan shushes her. "We still have to be quiet. Now help us."

The less he sees of Kendall kissing James, the better.

* * *

><p>The sun is just peeking over the hills when they lower Logan into the machine. Having been underground, it was spared complete destruction, but there is enough debris inside to make it difficult to maneuver. He passes up what he can to free up some space, then finally gets a look around at everything. "Unbelievable," he says in awe.<p>

"What? What's wrong?" James asks.

"Nothing. I mean, there's a little damage, but I think it'll actually work. How is that possible?" Logan plays with a few switches, and when they respond he knows the truth of the situation—none of this is real. He's in a coma or a dream or something of that nature because there's no way in hell it could survive a wrecking ball this well, and it's the only explanation for why his friends exist in the past as well as the future. Now all he has to do is get it going and hopefully he'll wake up back at the Palm Woods, or even in a hospital bed, he doesn't care as long as James is there to greet him, his James with the messy hair and silly need to be constantly reassured that he looks good.

"So it works?" Kendall calls down.

"I'm not sure. I think it will." Logan looks up at the four faces staring down at him, a twinge of sadness in his chest even though he's smiling; he's going to miss these people so much, even after just two days. Then again, he'll never again take his own version of them for granted.

"You're not just...leaving, are you?" James asks, his voice a little sad as well.

A part of Logan melts. "Not just yet. You got a screwdriver?"

"I do," Kendall offers, tossing it down. "What?" he asks when they all stare at him. "I came prepared."

After tightening some things and banging on a few others, Logan nods. "I think she's good to go. I can't believe it." And yet he can, because this is all in his head.

"You'd better come back up to say goodbye before taking off," Katie says.

"I will. Help me up?"

The guys pull him out and dust him off some. "What if it doesn't work?" Logan worries.

"Then you're stuck here with us," Carlos answers. "Which would be kind of neat, we make a pretty good team."

"We do," Logan grins. "And you're all gonna be friends after I leave, right? No more fighting between the two of you?"

Kendall slides an arm around James' waist and James leans into him. "Can't guarantee we won't ever fight, James is pretty ridiculous."

"I'm ridiculous? Who spied on me every night but couldn't even admit that he missed me?"

"You're both ridiculous," Katie comments. "Don't worry, Logan, I'll keep them in line."

"And I'll help," Carlos adds. "Me and my lady will make sure they play nice."

Logan nods. "Okay. I think I can leave here with a clear conscience then. Kendall?" When Logan holds out a hand, Kendall rolls his eyes and pulls him into a tight hug.

"What if you don't make it?" he asks softly.

"Then I don't make it. As long as I get to say my goodbyes to James first, I'll be okay with that."

"I hate that we won't know," Kendall says, stepping back. "So in the future, you can't look me up and tell me you made it okay? Hopefully I'm still alive."

"It's...hard to explain, but no. I can't."

"Am I dead?"

"No, just...trust me. I can't tell you I made it okay. You wouldn't remember any of this."

"Not sure how I could forget, but if you say so."

"Where's my hug?" Katie demands.

"Right here, kiddo. And you, I would have been lost without. Thank you for being so suspicious and figuring it out. I would've been floundering for weeks trying to do this on my own." Logan hugs her and kisses the side of her head.

"Ew, cooties! But um, yeah. You're lucky to have me."

"I know it," Logan chuckles. "Carlitos?"

"My mom calls me that. Please don't call me that."

"I'm gonna call you that," Kendall grins wickedly. "That is now my nickname for you."

"Shut it, Knight," Carlos answers good-naturedly.

"Can I hug you this time?" Logan asks.

"Sure, it's just us. And I give great hugs." Carlos wraps Logan up and Logan smiles; Kendall gives the best, but Carlos is a close second.

"So glad I got to meet you."

"Me too. If we hadn't, who knows if these two knuckleheads would've ever got together."

"Exactly." Logan turns to James, who has been staring silently at him through all of this, and sees that once again, James is about to cry. _Why am I always making him cry?_

"Hey. Come over here a minute."

Kendall lets him go and James follows Logan into the shadows of a small shed. "You gonna be okay?" Logan asks, taking his hand.

"Yeah, I just...you're lucky; you're going back to me. I'm losing you for good. Again. And I know I have Kendall, and Kendall's all I want, but..."

When Logan steps in to hug him, James holds him so tight he can hardly breathe. "I'm gonna miss you. I can't wait to get back to my guy, but I kind of fell for you, too. Which makes sense, considering you're him."

"I wish we'd had more time together."

"It's best that we didn't, James. Trust me. You and Kendall would have continued to fight and made it worse, and now you have him. Finally, you have him back. I know you want that."

"I do. When he kissed me, I thought I was dreaming for a minute. I was so afraid for it to stop, thought I might wake up."

The light in James' eyes makes Logan smile. "It was no dream." Though that may be a lie, since Logan is dreaming all this anyway. "He's been going crazy without you, just like you have without him. This is how it's meant to be."

"I know," James nods. "Do you think if...maybe if you'd lived..."

"It's not even worth thinking about, James. I died. I'm gone, and Kendall will take care of you. Always. It's what he does best, takes care of us. And you're the one he loves. In fact, I bet if you look over my shoulder right now, he's watching us. Terrified I'm gonna kiss you again."

James does look, then laughs. "He's crazy."

"He's in love. And so are you. Now go make sure he knows that."

James hesitates, though. "I still don't want you to leave. I really like you a lot."

And Logan's tried, he's been resisting it for Kendall's sake, but when James says that, he can no longer hold back. He turns James away from Kendall's eyes and backs him up against the wall of the shed, pressing him into it and kissing him the way he wanted to kiss him the night before at the drive-in, breaking Kendall's rule about tongue and just going for it. James hesitates for a few seconds, probably feeling guilty about Kendall, but upon realizing this is his only chance to ever kiss Logan again, he gives in and returns it with a passion to match Logan's. Logan's hands go into James' hair and James' hands slide down to pull Logan tighter against him, and for one long minute there's no Kendall, no other James, just the two of them locked in the the idea of what might have been had Logan not died as a child in this time. For once they aren't interrupted, and when Logan finally steps back he knows for sure that he needs to leave, the sooner the better—mostly because he needs to do this with his own James, but also because if he doesn't leave, he won't be able to keep his hands off this James, and Kendall would most likely murder him before too long.

"I won't forget you," James whispers.

Logan nods. "I know. I won't, either. You take care of Kendall, okay?"

"For sure. And you take care of me."

That bright smile takes over James' face, and once again Logan is hit with homesickness for his own James. "No doubt. I really need to go."

"Yeah." James pulls him in for a quick hug. "I wish we knew somehow if you made it. Like Kendall said."

"I know, but there's no way."

"Okay. Oh, before I forget!" James reaches into his jacket pocket and comes out with a red and white tube. "Give this to him. Well, to me."

"What is it?" Logan tries to read it but the darkness makes it difficult.

"Trust me. If he's me, he'll know what to do with it. He needs the help."

Logan laughs, assuming it's some kind of hair product. "I'll make sure he gets it." One more kiss because he can't seem to help himself, and when he tries to pull back James holds his face there a while longer.

"Okay, I think I can let you go now." James nods, stepping away.

"I'll do my best to make you happy in the future. If that makes any sense."

"I have no doubt you will. Now go back there and tell him, make sure he knows how you feel. If he's anything like me, he won't be able to resist you."

"I'm pretty sure he feels the same, but if he doesn't, got any tips on how I can win him over?"

"Tell him he looks good. All the time. Make sure he knows you appreciate his smarts, too; he knows he's not the brightest guy, and feels inadequate a lot more than he probably lets on. One of the things I love most about you is that you don't make me feel stupid, no matter how smart you are. And make him feel needed. Let him buy you the clothes, let him fix up your hair. Then he'll want to show you off and tell everyone you're his. And change out of that outfit as soon as you can," James frowns, referring to the clothing Logan had thrown back on before coming out here.

"I think I can handle all that," Logan smiles.

"Hey guys, someone's coming! I think the construction crew's about to show up!" Katie calls over, back in her position as lookout.

Logan is surprised at how much brighter it's gotten in the last five minutes. "If I'm gonna do this today, I need to go now."

"Come on."

They rush back to the others. Logan takes one more look at all of them as Katie runs up to give him another hug. "I'm mad that I didn't get to ask you about the future, but I hope you make it, buddy."

"Sorry about that, I would've told you everything if there was time. Thank you all so much. I'm gonna miss you guys."

They lower him down into the booth, his heart pounding; even if this is just a dream, he has no idea what he'll wake up to, or even if he'll wake up at all. _Please God, get me back to James. To all of them, but James. I need James._

"Tell your mom I said thanks for everything!"

"I will," Kendall calls down, arm securely around James' waist again. "Now get out of here before someone else shows up."

As Logan presses the buttons that will hopefully take him home, his looks up to find James, and the last thing he sees before darkness takes over are those beautiful hazel eyes filled with love for him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes:** Anyone reading this knows that Nickelodeon owns the rights to Big Time Rush, right? I just like to play chess with the boys, moving them around as I see fit.

So one night I was at the mall and heard a song that sounded like something out of a 50's diner. I suddenly had a vision of Kendall and James as rival gang leaders and it wouldn't leave me alone. The final product is quite a bit different than my original vision, but it was inspired by both _Grease_ and _Back to the Future_, two fabulous movies that take me back to my childhood because I have such great memories of watching them with friends and family. If you haven't seen them, you really should.

Dedication on this one goes to **PromiseMeTheStars **because she is such a cheerleader and kept pushing me to continue it after I'd decided to give up on it. She's still bugging me with "Did you write anymore of your story? :D" **Aranelle** did the same thing, and I love them both for encouraging me when I thought this story had no place to go. Turns out it had two different places to go, but at least everyone will end up happy. I think. Because they always do in my world.

**Gleechild** gave me the push to start this in the first place, and she's already helped me with two scenes in this story just from her reviews alone. KEEP REVIEWING ME, SHARON. YOU'RE WRITING THIS WITH ME. **Aranelle** made a pact with me—we agreed that if she'd write her Kendall/James gangster fic, I'd write this one. She made good on her end of the bargain, so I had to follow through. AND YOU SHOULD ALL GO READ HER FIC BECAUSE I LOVE IT AND I LOVE HER AND IT'S JUST SO GOOD IT MADE ME CRY. It's titled "Call Me a Sinner, Call Me a Saint."

Also thanking **kathrynew30** on this one, because her input and suggestions were a big help. Thanks, dude.

Because I will probably be asked, this is not the last chapter. But we're close. :) Again, thank you guys for reading and reviewing. Makes me happier than you know.

XXXXX

"Logan...sorry...just...up...never...please...Kendall...do it...Minnesota...understand...miserable..."

The words fade in and out as Logan does, consciousness returning slowly, but he knows that voice. It's the voice he needs most, the one that makes him smile and feel complete.

_James. I hear you, James. Where are you?_

Try as he might to see the source of the voice, it's dark-too dark. He could swear his eyes are open, but maybe they're not because James sounds like he's right here and yet-

Moisture drips onto his cheek, one warm drop followed by another, and it jolts him awake enough to hear everything clearly.

Kendall is talking to someone, about him most likely, telling them that he's unconscious and his head is bleeding and please just hurry and "James, back off some, they said to make sure his airway is clear."

_Don't leave me._ Logan tries to form the words but there's nothing, where did his lips go?

"James, come on." This time Kendall is gentle. "You gotta give him room."

Instead arms wrap tighter around him and he's lifted half off the floor and hugged to a warm body. _James_.

"Not going anywhere." James' voice hitches, and Logan realizes the drops of moisture were James' tears falling onto his face. _He's crying again. Why am I always making him cry?_

"Be careful with him, please don't move him too much, James."

"I won't hurt him."

Katie's voice floats to him as she instructs people to back off, to clear the area, that everything's fine and it was a simple structure collapse. He hears Bitters argue with her about insurance and liability, but he tunes that out to focus on the arms around him, the strong body holding him close.

"I'm sorry," James whispers. "So sorry. Do what you want to do, I won't keep you here, just wake up. Please wake up."

The sheer misery in those words is enough to get Logan trying again, forcing his eyes open even through the pain shooting through his skull. "James," he tries to whisper, but nothing comes out. His vision is blurred but he can make out the fabric of James' t-shirt and notes it's the one James was wearing when he left. Of course it is, he never actually went anywhere. He must still be in the basement. "James," he tries again, and this time there's a slight sound, though James doesn't hear it.

"Is he still breathing?" Kendall asks, fear evident in his voice.

James leans enough away from Logan to check on that, eyes widening when he sees Logan's brown ones looking up at him, though a bit cloudy. "Logan! Oh my God, Logan!" He hugs Logan tight to him again, the tears falling as he breaks down completely, body shaking with his sobs.

"Oh shit no no no no no," Kendall says, assuming the worst. "He isn't dead, he can't be."

"James." And this time it's at least a real whisper, Logan's fingers weakly gripping James' shirt.

"He's alive, Kendall, he's alive! Oh God, Logan, don't leave me, don't ever leave me again, please!"

"Didn't go anywhere," Logan answers, trying to reassure James.

"He's awake?" Katie yells, running over. "Did you make it, Logan? Did it work?"

"Katie, not now," Kendall scolds. "He's barely even conscious."

"No," Logan manages, eyes finding Katie over James' shoulder.

"No? So what happened then?"

"Katie, leave him the fuck alone!" James yells suddenly, making Logan's head hurt worse. "Everybody just leave him alone!"

"It's okay," Kendall soothes, squeezing James' shoulder. "He's gonna be okay."

"James, need to tell-" Logan starts, but then the paramedics are rushing in and everything happens so fast. James is dragged away from him and Logan whines, "Nooooo. James, don't leave me!"

"Right here, not leaving, right here."

Vitals are taken and the paramedics test his cognitive skills and reflexes, which are a bit weak but all there. Logan hears Kendall explain that they all heard a loud boom and rushed down here to find him unconscious. Katie inserts that it was a collapse of some kind, and Logan turns his face to see a pile of debris in the corner where the time machine once stood, pieces of it visible here and there in the mess; apparently it exploded when he tried to leave.

They place him on a stretcher and start to wheel him out, and immediately Logan panics. "James?"

"Right here. I'm right here."

The voice comes from behind the paramedic near Logan's head and Logan reaches up, trying to find him.

"Try not to move," the man instructs. "We don't know yet if you have any internal bleeding."

"I'm fine, my head just hurts but I'm fine and I need James, I have to tell him something, James where are you?"

And then James is there, walking next to the stretcher and grabbing Logan's hand.

"Don't leave me."

"I won't. Calm down, I'm not leaving your side."

"They won't let you in the ambulance, they'll—"

"I'd like to see them try to stop me," James argues.

But try they do, James throwing a tantrum to rival all of his previous ones, and once Logan tells them he refuses to go to the hospital without James, they relent. Since Logan's a minor and his guardian is not around, they take no chances.

Kendall steps up just before they slide him into the van. "Carlos and Mom are on their way home. We'll meet you at the hospital as soon as we can."

Logan nods. Kendall starts to pull James away but James doesn't move.

"I'm going with him."

Kendall glances between Logan and James, sees their hands still clasped tightly together, and nods. "We'll be there as soon as we can."

There's another moment of panic when Logan fears the paramedics were just humoring them and will shut the doors against James, but after one climbs in next to him, James follows and again grabs his hand.

"I'm sorry," James says for the thousandth time.

"For what?"

"For being such a jerk and fighting with Kendall all the time. If you really want to move back to Minnesota, I won't stand in your way. I didn't realize you were so unhappy here."

"I'm not, James. What makes me sad is you two fighting all the time. I can't stand to see my friends hurting each other like that."

"So that's why you always take off? I thought it was because Kendall was annoying you."

"Both of you annoy me when you act like children."

"How's the pain?" the paramedic interrupts. "Head still hurting?"

"Yeah, but it's not as intense. It's a slow throb. I think if there was any cerebral hemorrhaging we'd know by now."

"Logan's studying to be a doctor," James states proudly.

"Is he? So what do you think, Dr. Mitchell? You gonna live?"

"I think so. What is it, just a head wound?"

"_Just_ a head wound?" James asks incredulously. "You almost died, Logan! And the last thing I said to you was that I didn't care if you left. I lied, Logan. I do care. I care a lot, and I was just so afraid Kendall would steal you back, that you'd be his best friend again instead of mine, and I like being your best friend, I don't want to share you or lose that because there's so much. So much I want to say and I don't know how and-"

Logan reaches up to grab James by the hair and pull him down until their lips meet, feeling James' shock but not letting go, and after a gasp James is kissing him back desperately. The paramedic stares in surprise for a moment but then finds some equipment that suddenly needs his attention, turning away to give them some privacy.

And this is what Logan has been needing; the lips are the same, the gentle hands on his face are the same, but the kiss is all James Diamond—not the James he met in the past, but the James he longed for the entire time he was "away." The pain in his head dulls in comparison to the racing of his heart, which should be causing his head to pound more but instead distracts him from it.

"Hey guys, sorry, but we have to keep his heart rate down. He's probably fine, but I don't want to take any chances."

Logan slows the kiss, finally letting James sit up. "Is that what you needed to say?"

"Yes." James nods, a finger tracing Logan's lips. "I didn't know how. I thought I had time, was trying to work up to it, but then Kendall was suddenly back with us and I panicked, thinking you'd go back to spending all your time with him. I always thought you only hung around with me because he wasn't there."

"That might be what started it, us hanging out together all the time, but it wasn't long before I was looking forward to our time together. And then when Kendall did come back to us and you started getting all touchy and possessive...I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. But I figured you were doing it to start shit with Kendall, not because you actually wanted me."

"I did want you. I still do. And by that kiss, I'm going to assume you feel the same."

Logan nods, kissing James' finger. "I do. It took both of us way too long to get around to realizing that."

"It did. So I don't have to worry about you ditching me for the cooler friend?"

"I'm going to say no, because I don't intend for you to be my friend. I want a lot more from you than that."

James' eyes light up. "Really?"

"Really. Not letting you go again."

James leans down for a long kiss, this one not quite as desperate but no less passionate for it. "You're mine," James whispers.

"All yours," Logan answers, finally feeling like things are going to be okay.

XXXXXX

After hours of tests, it's determined that Logan has a concussion. He's informed that he shouldn't be left alone for the next twenty-four hours, and James immediately volunteers to remain at his side. Logan smiles because he doubts James would've left even if he wasn't ordered to stay; as it is, he lied to the hospital staff, claiming to be Logan's brother in order to stay with him. Thankfully, Mrs. Knight went along with the lie when she arrived to take care of all the paperwork.

Kendall, Carlos, and Katie sneak back to visit him after a while, and Logan couldn't be happier to see them. He hugs them all even though Carlos teases him about the bandage on his head and the fact that they had to shave some of his hair away to treat the injury. James perches on the side of Logan's hospital bed, a hand resting on his leg or arm or any body part he can find, unwilling to let go unless he has to.

"Okay, so the nurses are gonna catch us pretty soon, but I'm dying to know, Logan! What happened? You didn't go back in time?" Katie questions.

"Dude, Katie told us all about that!" Carlos exclaims. "How could you build a time machine and not tell us?"

"It doesn't matter, it didn't work. I did have a pretty vivid dream, though, and believed it worked for a while. I went back to the 50's and you guys were all there. It was crazy."

"So what happened?" Kendall asks. "Do you think it just blew up when you tried to use it?"

"Yeah. Bitters is gonna make me pay for all the damage."

"No, he won't," Katie reassures him. "Nobody knows what you were doing, it looks like part of the basement just collapsed."

"And I want to know how come you told Katie you were going, but not us," Carlos whines. "I thought we were your buddies, dude."

"I needed to tell someone in case something happened, and you guys would've wanted to come."

"Oh, like Katie didn't?"

"I totally did, Carlos. He said no."

"She was the one who wouldn't ask a lot of questions; I knew she'd accept it right away, without demanding proof," Logan explained. "And she did."

"Was I cool in your dream, Logan?" Katie asks.

"You were amazing. It's because of you that I woke up, you helped me get back to my time machine and uh...come home. As it were."

"What, we didn't help?" Kendall asks, offended. "I'm sure I would've helped you."

"You did. All of you did. Even James, who didn't want me to come back." Logan reaches out to squeeze James' hand, smiling up at him.

"Can you blame me?" James replies with a smirk.

"Not at all."

"So like...are you guys together now or what? Because it's kind of weird, but not in a bad way." Carlos tilts his head to stare at them. "You make a cute couple."

James grins. "We're totally together. And not sure yet how we want to handle this, so for right now it stays between us. It's going to affect the band if it gets out. That is...it would, if the band was staying together."

"The band's breaking up?" Katie asks. "What? Why?"

Logan looks to Kendall. "You still moving back to Minnesota?"

"No, of course not. I didn't understand, thought you really were miserable out here. And I thought James was causing it."

"Dude, he was pissed at both of you," Carlos inserts. "Even I could tell that much, and I couldn't stand all the fighting. I'm sorry I haven't been around, guys. I just can't take it."

"It's okay, Carlos," Logan responds. "I had to get away from it, too. Which is how the time machine came about. But the fighting's done, right? No more tug of war between you?"

"Not as long as Kendall accepts that you're my boyfriend. And damn, it feels good to say that," James says with a huge grin.

"I'm fine with it. As long as you don't hog all the Logan. Let the rest of us enjoy him for a change. I've missed him."

"It was you who chose to spend all your time with Jo, Kendall."

"I know, James, I'm not saying it's all your fault, I'm just saying-"

"Guys, guys, guys," Katie interrupts. "This is what Logan's talking about. It drives me and Mom crazy, too. Can you just hug it out and be friends again?"

Kendall smiles, chagrined. "Yeah, okay." He steps forward and James envelops him in a hug, and the panic rises in Logan. But that wasn't real. None of it happened, it was just his brain showing him his worst fears and urging him to fix things with James before it was too late. Still, when Kendall steps back and James' hand immediately returns to Logan's leg, Logan breathes a sigh of relief.

"What is all this?"

They all look up to see a nurse slipping past the curtain.

"I'm afraid you'll all have to leave. No more than two visitors allowed with a patient at a time, and his mother is on the way back here."

"Oh, we had no idea. Sorry," Katie offers in her best good-girl voice.

"You want us to hang out here until they release you?" Kendall asks before leaving.

"I'm okay, the doctor said they'll discharge me in another hour or so, if I continue to improve."

"We're gonna ride back with Camille so Mom can keep the car, she showed up a little while ago. James, you staying?"

"Damn right I am."

"I do not want to see you sitting on that bed when I return, young man. That's what chairs are for."

James glares at the nurse before she follows the rest of them out. Logan smiles up at James when they're gone, knowing the nurse will be back soon, possibly with Mrs. Knight in tow. "I love you. I haven't told you that yet, and I don't want to waste any more time."

"Ah, Logan." James leans down for a soft kiss. "I love you, too. I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out, and even longer to say it."

"We said it, that's what matters. No more wasting time, though."

"Nope." James reclines next to Logan, shoving him over to make room before pulling him right back into his arms.

"The nurse is gonna kill you, you know."

"She can kiss my ass. I'll move when I have to."

It's actually two hours later before Logan can leave, and by then the pain relievers have chased away a good portion of his headache, though he knows he'll have to rely on them for the better part of the next week until the headaches stop. Mrs. Knight waits out in the lobby while James helps Logan get back into his clothes. "So this tragedy of an outfit was to help you blend in when you went back in time?"

Logan chuckles. "Yes, James. And it worked."

"At least in your dream. Because this would never work in real life."

"It did the trick, okay?"

"Whatever. You should let me take you shopping. One of these days you'll say yes to that."

"How about sometime this week?" Logan offers, remembering what the "old" James suggested.

"Really?" James gapes. "You'll let me pick out some clothes for you?"

"Sure. And once my hair grows back enough, we can work on a new style for that, too. If you don't mind helping me."

"Of course not! Logan, this is so exciting!" James hugs him gently, and Logan says a silent thank you to the beautiful boy in a leather jacket and tight jeans who was unselfish enough to let him go without a fight.

Logan is slipping on his shoes when James comments, "Damn, did you take enough stuff with you? This jacket weighs a ton."

"I didn't take all that much with me. Just wanted to be prepared."

"Oh, and Brylcreem was a necessity? Were you planning to be a greaser or what? And where the hell did you find such an old tube of it?"

Logan freezes in the act of tying his shoe, his entire body wracked with chills. He looks up slowly to see James studying a red-and-white tube that's about half-used.

"This stuff is horrible for your hair. Sure, it holds, but the long-term damage it can do..." James shivers just thinking about it.

"That was...in my jacket?"

"Right here in the side pocket. Did you forget you packed it?"

Logan reaches out to hold it, his mind taking him back to the moment he said goodbye to the past James as his thumb rubs over the tube. "Oh my God," he whispers. "Oh my fucking God."

"What? Logan, what's wrong? Oh my God, you're so pale, I'm calling the nurse."

"No!" Logan stops him from pressing the buzzer that would alert the nurses' desk. "James. Oh my God, James. It...James." It seems to be all he can say, mind caught between two Jameses as the truth sets in.

"What? Talk to me, what's going on?"

"I...it was..." _Real. It was real. How in the hell is that possible? _ Logan stares down at the hair grease in awe.

"You're scaring me. Please, Logan. What's wrong?"

Logan looks up at James, at the worry in his eyes, the love he sees shining there. He remembers how it felt to have everyone around his hospital bed, Kendall and Carlos and even Katie, who had also been absent so much before all of this happened. Things are finally going to return to normal, and this time he'll have James the way he wants him. Everything is just right. If the world knows his secret, everything will change again, and he might even risk losing James as he feared before any of this happened. That's just not an option, no matter how much fame and fortune might come his way.

Logan shakes his head slowly. He doesn't know how the others existed back in the 50's; he probably never will. What's important is that he knows what he wants now, that he has all of his friends and the love of his life right where they belong, and he will do nothing to risk that; his secret will remain just that. "I just remembered part of my dream. You gave this to me, told me to give it to you when I got back here. My mind was out of control while I was knocked out."

"Uh, yeah it was. I sure as hell wouldn't tell you to give that to me. I think I'd know better. This conversation is really weird. Can we stop now? I'm getting confused."

Logan laughs, pulling James into a hug. "It is confusing."

"So this other James, from your dream. Did you love him? Since you love me, I mean?"

Logan swallows; there would always be a soft spot in his heart for that other James, but there's nowhere else he'd rather be than in this James' arms. "Nobody compares to you. Not even...you."

"Again. That's really weird."

"It really is. Let's go home, James."

XXXXXXXX


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes:** Anyone reading this knows that Nickelodeon owns the rights to Big Time Rush, right? I just like to play chess with the boys, moving them around as I see fit.

So one night I was at the mall and heard a song that sounded like something out of a 50's diner. I suddenly had a vision of Kendall and James as rival gang leaders and it wouldn't leave me alone. The final product is quite a bit different than my original vision, but it was inspired by both _Grease_ and _Back to the Future_, two fabulous movies that take me back to my childhood because I have such great memories of watching them with friends and family. If you haven't seen them, you really should.

Dedication on this one goes to **PromiseMeTheStars **because she is such a cheerleader and kept pushing me to continue it after I'd decided to give up on it. She's still bugging me with "Did you write anymore of your story? :D" **Aranelle** did the same thing, and I love them both for encouraging me when I thought this story had no place to go. Turns out it had two different places to go, but at least everyone will end up happy. I think. Because they always do in my world.

**Gleechild** gave me the push to start this in the first place, and she's already helped me with two scenes in this story just from her reviews alone. KEEP REVIEWING ME, SHARON. YOU'RE WRITING THIS WITH ME. **Aranelle** made a pact with me—we agreed that if she'd write her Kendall/James gangster fic, I'd write this one. She made good on her end of the bargain, so I had to follow through. AND YOU SHOULD ALL GO READ HER FIC BECAUSE I LOVE IT AND I LOVE HER AND IT'S JUST SO GOOD IT MADE ME CRY. It's titled "Call Me a Sinner, Call Me a Saint."

On this chapter especially, **PromiseMeTheStars,** **Aranelle**, **kathrynew30**, and **Gleechild** all helped me with their input and feedback. Thank you guys, so very much.

This is it. Last chapter. I didn't intend for some of these things to happen, but as I mentioned in an earlier chapter, I don't always win arguments with my characters. In this case, Kendall and Jamie insisted on certain things happening and I had to compromise with them. So it got a little out of control toward the end but...what can I say? Let James be James.

**IMPORTANT:** I had to differentiate between the two Jameses, so I used Kendall's nickname. For most of this chapter, James=present/BTR James, and Jamie=past/50's James. I hope it's not too confusing, this is my first time writing something like this. And it will probably be my last. Too many little Diamonds running around, causing trouble.

Again, thank you to everyone who has read this whole thing and been so sweet in reviewing. It's because of you guys that I keep writing when I think I'm not going to anymore. I LOVE YOU ALL.

* * *

><p><em>One Year Later<em>

_XXX_

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Logan asks for the twentieth time in ten minutes.

"Logan. I'm sure. Come on, let's do it before it gets any later."

"But it's dangerous. We might not make it."

"You said you figured out the problem and fixed it. Rebuilt the whole thing and it should work fine, right?" James leans down to place a peck on Logan's lips. "I trust you. It's gonna be fine."

"What if you die? I can't live with that, knowing I killed you."

"Then we'll just have to die together," James answers. "I'm certainly not living without you."

Logan takes a deep breath and lets it out. "You got everything?"

"I got what matters. My lucky comb, which I will give to myself when I show him how to style his hair."

Logan rolls his eyes. "You two are ridiculous. I'm almost afraid to put you in the same room."

James shrugs. "I have to admit, I like the jacket and boots."

Logan grins. "I happen to like them, too. You look hot, dude."

"Hey, hey, hey. No lusting after your ex. You got the real thing now."

James often teases Logan about the other James, though when Logan first broke down and told him the truth about going into the past, it was tough on him to think about Logan with someone else-even someone who was basically a representation of him, and even though he and Logan weren't officially together at the time. When James continued to be bothered by the idea (made worse by the fact that Logan would wake up from dreams about the other James in tears), Logan finally explained it to him like this: "Imagine if it was you meeting another me. Before we got together. _That_ me was throwing himself at you, offering you everything you've ever wanted with _this_ me, and you didn't know if you'd ever see me again. Now tell me how you could resist that."

James could actually see the point then, but wondered why Logan would wake up crying. "You miss him, admit it."

"It's not so much that I miss him," Logan had answered. "It's that I worry about him. I left him with Kendall and was sure everything would be fine, but the more I watch you and Kendall together, the more I realize how easily they could push each other away by acting like idiots."

"Kendall and I don't fight all that much anymore."

"Not as bad, but you two argue over anything and everything. Without me there, I'm afraid they're gonna devolve into the children they were before I showed up."

"You can't babysit them from here, Logan. You have to just let them go. Either that or build a new time machine to check up on them."

It had been a joke, but soon enough Logan went to work doing just that. Two months later he had it ready, but James had insisted on going along this time. "No way in hell I'm letting him get his claws in you" was his argument.

"You do realize you're talking about yourself," Logan had pointed out.

"Why do you think I don't trust him? I know me better than anybody, and I can be sneaky when I want something."

"Maybe he just wants Kendall now."

"Logan, I know me. One taste of you and nobody else will ever do."

Remembering that conversation now, Logan laughs and shakes his head. "Yes, now I have the real thing. And it's all I want, okay?"

"It better be," James answers, pulling Logan in for another kiss. "I can't believe I went for Kendall. What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you, Kendall's a great guy. It was different for them. I wasn't around and Carlos came along way later. All they had was each other."

"Still. I'd rather be alone than with Kendall."

"I'm actually very happy to hear that. Now are you ready?"

James looks around the basement one last time. "I said my goodbyes to everyone just in case. You know, Carlos, Kendall, Katie."

"Me, too. Katie was pissed that I wouldn't bring her along, but I can't take the chance."

"Yeah, Mama K wouldn't be too pleased if we lost her somewhere in the 50's. Oh my God, can you imagine two Katies? I think we'd all have to run for cover."

"Can't be nearly as bad as two Jameses," Logan teases. "There aren't enough hair products in the universe to satisfy you two."

James smacks Logan lightly. "You know you love us," he smirks.

"Yeah, I guess I do." One glance around before Logan steps into the time machine, pulling James in after him. James closes the door and bites his lip, suddenly nervous.

"You don't have to do this," Logan says softly.

"I'm not letting you go alone. I meant what I said; if you die, I'm going with you. No way am I living without you, Logan." There is also the fact that James is terrified Logan won't want to come back, that he'll fall in love with that other James and decide to stay. He needs to be there so Logan won't forget about him.

"Don't be melodramatic. If I die, you'll survive."

"Not happily, though. I would never be the same again."

Logan hugs James tight. "Me neither. I love you, and if something goes wrong today, I want you to know that."

"I do know." Ever since Logan returned from his jaunt to the past, he never hesitates to express his feelings, which works well because James needs reassurance often. He leans down for another kiss. "I love you, too."

With a smile Logan turns his attention to the console and programs a date six months from the time he left. "I hope I get this right. Last time I was about a year early. But I came back here at the time I meant to, so maybe I'll get lucky."

"Why wait six months? Wouldn't it make more sense to go back at the time you left?"

"I want to give Kendall and James enough time to screw it up if they're going to. If they're still good after six months, I think they'll be fine."

"Are we gonna have to do this for the rest of our lives? Go back whenever you worry about them not making it?"

"You really don't have to go, James."

"Dude, of course I'm going, I didn't mean it like that. But you can't babysit them; either they make it or they don't. And you're not staying there, we need you here for the band. Or how about we need you here just because? You're part of us and we're not giving you up."

"Hey, whoa. Calm down, James, I'm not planning to stay. Or go back a lot. But they all wanted to know I made it safely, that I didn't die. They helped me get here and they deserve to know it worked."

"Okay, I get that but...I don't want to stay long. Just say hi and make sure they're fine and we come back, right?" James pleads.

"You're afraid I'll want to stay with him. That I'll choose him over you."

James looks away, unable to meet Logan's gaze. The fear is a solid thing in his chest and he hates it, hates being vulnerable, but this is Logan; he can't lose Logan again, not after two near-misses.

"I chose you," Logan says quietly, turning James' face forward. "I could have stayed there and been with him. I'm pretty sure he would've given us a chance, even with Kendall there. Because you and me...we have something special. No matter when we exist. We're drawn to each other. I knew that, knew I could win him if I tried, but I didn't want to try. All I wanted was you. I chose you, James."

James crushes Logan to his chest, eyes closing and heart beating hard.

"And I'd do it again. Every time. Okay?"

"Okay." James kisses Logan's hair. "I'm sorry, just can't lose you."

"You won't. Not by my choice, anyway."

James nods, stepping back and taking a deep breath. "Let's do this."

"I really hope it doesn't cause any problems. You being there, I mean."

"What sort of problems?"

"I'm dead in that time. What happens if there are two Jameses and...it might not be pretty. You just never know."

"Logan, have you learned nothing in the year we've been together? I'm always pretty. In any time."

Logan chuckles. "Silly me. You ready to meet yourself?"

"You ready for us to double your pleasure?"

Logan's eyes widen as the vision of that takes hold. "Holy fucking sh-"

With a grin James kisses Logan, cutting off his words as he throws the switch.

XXXXX

Logan steps back after ringing the doorbell. He has no idea what the date is or even if Mrs. Knight will have met him yet, but he has a cover story in place just in case. He senses eyes on him and glances over to see James peeking around the wall. "Get back!" he hisses, and James disappears after grinning.

The door swings open and Mrs. Knight's face splits into a wide grin. "Logan! Oh my goodness, it's so good to see you!" She sweeps him up into a hug and he hugs her back, relief pouring through him. At least they know who he is. "How are you? Where have you been? Come in, are you staying long? Are you alone?"

After chuckling at all the questions, Logan follows Mrs. Knight into the living room, hoping James sticks with the plan and goes to wait for him at Kendall's bedroom window. He didn't see Kendall's James' car here, so it's probably safe to assume James isn't anywhere around, but he wants to take no chances.

"Are you staying for dinner? There's plenty to go around."

"Mrs. Knight, you are really too sweet. I'm not staying too long, just came by to say hi. I felt bad leaving without even thanking you for everything before. If you hadn't taken me in, I don't know where I might've ended up."

"I told you, you're welcome here anytime. So Kendall says you found some family back in Minnesota after all?"

"Yeah, I did." It sucks that they couldn't get together first to corroborate stories. The less he volunteers, the better.

"And they've been good to you?"

"They have. Is Kendall at school?"

"Yes, I was about to leave to pick up Katie and get a few things at the store for dinner. Would you like to come?"

"Actually, would it be okay if I waited here for Kendall? I can't stay overnight and I was hoping to spend a little time with him before I have to leave again."

"Of course. Help yourself to anything in the house, and we'll be back in about an hour. Kendall doesn't have practice today, so he should be home pretty soon."

"And uh...James?"

Mrs. Knight smiles as she picks up her purse. "Yes, James will most likely be here, too. And Carlos. Did you meet Carlos while you were here?"

"I did," Logan grins, happy to hear they're all still friends. "Can't wait to see them again."

"Are you sure you can't stay longer? Kendall and Katie would love to have you."

"I wish I could, but thanks." On impulse Logan reaches out to hug her, and she pats his back before moving toward the door.

"Tacos for dinner, Logan. You should think about staying."

"Tacos? You make tacos?"

"Sure I do. Carlos taught me."

With a grin, Mrs. Knight waves and heads out, and Logan can't stop smiling himself. "I need a calendar."

Once Mrs. Knight pulls away, Logan heads into Kendall's bedroom to let James in.

"So she remembered you? That's a good thing, right?"

"Damn good thing. I would've hated to come all this way and have them not even know me yet." Logan closes the window after James crawls in. "Calendar. Help me find a calendar."

James looks around in awe. "Holy shit. Look at all these trophies."

"Yeah, he's a total jock. You're not surprised, are you?"

"No, but...it isn't just hockey, it's everything. Track and field? Really, Kendall?" James shakes his head.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with track and field. They don't have hockey here yet."

"That's lame. No wonder he goes out for stupid sports."

Logan rolls his eyes, finally spying a calendar on the wall. "If he keeps up with this, today is Friday, March 13, 1959. Almost six months to the day. Which means we got here the day I wanted to. Amazing. It actually worked."

"Told you, I had no doubt." James picks through the clothes hanging in Kendall's closet with a grimace. "Seriously, how did they live in this time? These clothes are just gross."

"I hear him," Logan interrupts, feet carrying him to the living room, where Kendall is just closing the door behind him. He spins around and jumps, heart going to his chest.

"Logan! Jesus, you scared me!"

"You should watch what you say, Kendall. Don't want to go to Hell."

"Yeah, well, you kind of rubbed off on-" Then it hits him and his mouth gapes open. "Logan! You're here!" Kendall lifts him up and swings him around, hugging him tight. "You made it! I mean, right? You made it and now you're back?"

"Yes, I made it. How are you?" Logan again can't stop smiling, it's just so good to see Kendall.

"I'm great! Wow, everyone's gonna be so happy to see you, Jamie's gonna-" Kendall frowns, eyes settling on something over Logan's shoulder. "I thought we were gonna meet at the drugstore later."

Logan spins around to see James leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest as he studies Kendall with a smirk.

"What's wrong with your hair?" Kendall asks, the frown deepening.

"_My_ hair? You have the nerve to question _my_ hair? What is that slicked-down crap, Kendall?"

"James," Logan starts.

"And why are you here with him? I thought you and Carlos left after me." Kendall struts over to James and drags him closer.

Logan watches it happen, watches that temptation to mess with Kendall's head pass through James' brain. "James," he warns again.

"So what if I'm here with Logan? You jealous, Knight?"

"Jesus Christ," Logan mutters. "Every damn time."

"You know I am," Kendall growls in a low voice before pulling him in by the hair and kissing him.

Logan stands there stunned before calling out, "Okay, that's as far as that's gonna go." He rushes over to drag Kendall off of James.

"Look, just because you're back it doesn't mean you can have him now, Logan! Took me forever to get him back and-"

"Kendall, calm down. You don't understand."

"I understand plenty. You missed him so you had to come back, right? Well he's mine now, you went back for your Jason and if that didn't work out, I'm sorry but-"

"Jason?" James interrupts. "Who the hell is Jason?"

"His boyfriend! The one he left you for, remember?"

"What the hell, Logan? There's some guy named Jason I don't know about?"

"Jesus fucking Christ, you guys, what is it about you? I can't even put you two in the same room together without wanting to pull my hair out! Doesn't matter what year it is or which version of you I'm dealing with, you two just make me want to bash my head into a wall!"

"Which version? Wait, you mean...this is Jason?"

"No, I'm James. But I'm from Logan's time, I'm the one he came back for. Unless there's some guy named Jason I don't know about, who's going to get his ass kicked once we get back home."

"There is no Jason! There's just James and James and Kendall and Kendall and Carlos and Carlos and one me. Only one me. And I could use another one of me to smack the two of you around because you exhaust me!"

Kendall ignores Logan's outburst, intent on studying James. "Wow," he breathes. "He really does look exactly like my James. Except for the bad hair."

"Oh, are we gonna stand here and trade insults about hair? Because I can do that, and don't even get me started on track and field."

"Track and field? What's wrong with track and field?"

Logan throws his hands up. "That's it. I know what I need to know. James, come on, we're going home."

"What? No!"

"Yeah, you just got here, Logan. Carlos and Katie will want to see you."

Logan lifts an eyebrow. "And James, too? You gonna let me see him, Kendall?"

"Of course I am. But I'm not leaving you two alone for one second."

James frowns. "It won't matter, he's got me now. I'm all he needs."

"That may be true," Kendall answers, "but you haven't seen Jamie. He's gorgeous. One look at him and anybody would want him."

James blinks in surprise. "Kendall, that is so sweet. Thank you."

"What? I wasn't talking about you, asshole."

"But you were. Even you thought I was him. So if he's gorgeous, that means I am, too."

"Enough," Logan begs. "Please. You guys are making my head hurt. I just want to see them, say hi and let everyone know I made it back home."

"So why'd you bring him?" Kendall asks, nodding toward James.

"Because I love him. And he begged to come."

"Just had to meet the famous Kendall, huh?" Kendall smirks at James.

"Please, I get enough of you back home."

"There's...another me, too? How is that possible?"

"How is any of this possible?" Logan asks. "I don't understand it, but there's two of all of you. Not me, though, because I died as a kid when I was here."

"The Mitchell boy? That was you?"

Logan nods. "Can we go already? It's getting late." He takes James' hand in his and holds tight, not wanting James anywhere near Kendall.

"Fine. But you'd better behave yourself around my boyfriend," Kendall warns.

"And you'd better behave yourself around mine."

"Deal."

"Can I make out with myself?" James asks. "I've always thought that would be cool."

"No!" the other two yell, leading him out of the house.

"You guys are no fun," James pouts as he follows.

XXXXX

"Wait, you can't go in," Logan says to James as they approach the drugstore.

"Why not?"

"Because he's in there. See? There's his car."

"Sweet ride," James comments, impressed.

"You can wait in it if you want," Kendall offers.

"We'll get Carlos and James and maybe go somewhere to talk?" Logan suggests, looking at Kendall.

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Then Logan should wait with me. If they're coming right out, I mean."

"James, relax. I love you. I don't want him. I want you."

"Besides," Kendall adds, "I'm not letting him have my guy even if he changes his mind."

"Nobody's changing any minds. We're all happy where we are. Though I'm still worried about you two meeting each other," Logan frowns, staring at James.

"Dude, I'm not really gonna make out with him. Unless he-"

"Stop!" Kendall interrupts.

"No, it's not that, James, it's just that we don't know what could happen. Remember what Hermione said, bad things have happened to people who see themselves in the past. Or future. Or whatever. One of you could end up outside of time, like Squidward did."

James looks at Logan in disbelief. "You're worried about something that happened in a book? And a cartoon? That's more Carlos' style. Since when are you ridiculous?"

"I am so lost," Kendall mumbles.

"I'm just saying, it could be bad. I don't want to lose either of you."

"It'll be fine," James replies, shoving Kendall toward the store. "Now go get the boys, we'll wait in the car."

After Kendall enters the store, Logan peeks into the window. He smiles when he sees Jamie scoot over immediately to make room for Kendall in the booth, notes the way they're sitting as close as they dare in public.

"He's breathtaking," James whispers next to him, eyes on his counterpart. "Is that what I look like in action? No wonder you can't keep your hands off me."

Logan chuckles and pulls James away. "Come on, handsome. Let's wait in the car." They slip into the backseat. "Now when he comes out, you'll have to hide until we get somewhere that's away from...people. We don't need anyone seeing two Jameses."

"I'll just lay across you and Carlos. He can sit up front with the jerk."

"Kendall is not a jerk, James. You like him fine in our time, why not here?"

"He's so full of himself. Did you see the way he attacked me? Is that how he treats me in this time? And I like it?"

"Yeah, what was that? I know why he kissed you, why did you egg him on? How long would you have kissed him had I not stopped you?"

James shrugs. "He's not a bad kisser, I'll say that."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not gonna lie."

"I want your lips nowhere near him."

"Hey, you made out with another guy."

"We weren't even together then! And it was you!"

"It wasn't me, no matter what he looked like."

"I'm just saying, I don't want you kissing him again."

"Oh, what is this? Are you jealous for once? I think I like that."

"I told you, James, you have nothing to worry about."

"Like he's not gonna come out here and hug you?"

"I don't know, he probably doesn't even feel that way about me now that he has Kendall."

James shakes his head. "Told you, Logan. I know me. I could never stop loving you."

"Aww. If we weren't sitting in a car in 1959 I'd kiss you."

"Do it anyway."

Logan grins, so tempted, but he knows better.

"LOGAN? Logan, is it really you?"

The car door is yanked open and a tall body climbs over the seat, landing in a heap between them, and then Logan is buried in a muscled chest and a leather jacket as arms wrap around him and hold him close. "I thought I'd never see you again," Jamie whispers, heart beating under Logan's cheek.

Kendall and Carlos slide into the front seat and turn around. "So you must be the other James," Carlos says. "I just found out about you."

"Actually, _he's_ the other James. I was here first."

"Technically, _he _was," Kendall argues, but without any heat. His eyes are on his boyfriend, who is still holding Logan close as if he'll never let go. He meets James' eyes as if to say "See what I mean?" James nods, fighting the urge to tear Jamie off of Logan.

"Hey, how are you?" Logan holds Jamie just as tightly. "I was worried about you."

Carlos studies James. "Wow, you really do look just like him. So Logan made it, then. This is so cool! Kendall said there's another me, too? Tell me about him!"

"He's uh...fun. Crazy." James is distracted by the fact that they're still hugging and whispering. He turns pleading eyes on Kendall, begging him to do something.

"Guys," Kendall says softly. "Hey. We're starting to get a little nervous here," he tries to joke.

"I'm fine," Jamie answers after pulling back to stare down at Logan. "You?"

"Great. Never better, actually. I wanted you to meet my James." Beaming, Logan pulls James a little closer, and Jamie finally tears his eyes away only to gasp.

"Whoa. You are one handsome guy."

James laughs. "You're not so bad yourself. I'm uh...James."

"Same here. You know, the hair doesn't look so bad in person. Looks the way mine does when I roll out of bed in the morning. Or after a makeout session with Kendall," he smirks.

"You should see mine after a makeout session. It's a mess."

The two Jameses grin at each other, fascinated.

"If you two start making out I'm taking you right back to that time machine," Kendall warns.

"We're not gonna make out," Jamie answers, but he's grinning even wider now. "You are really hot."

James nods. "I know it. It's probably a good thing we aren't twins who exist at the same time, or everyone would pass out from too much handsome."

Logan rolls his eyes. "I can't believe this conversation. Kendall, please drive us somewhere."

"Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere. I just need some time to talk to James. _Your_ James. And before you two say anything, we're just gonna talk."

"I didn't say anything," Kendall states.

"Neither did I," James agrees. "I'm sure we'll find plenty to talk about amongst ourselves anyway."

Carlos sighs. "I think I'm gonna pass out from all the testosterone flying around this car. Are we gonna be gone long? Stephanie's supposed to meet us here later."

"Oh, it's a bad idea for her to see both of you together," Logan says.

Kendall sighs. "I'll tell you what. You two stay in the car and talk, I'll take Carlos and your James in with us. Just don't be too long."

"I'm good with that," James nods. "I want to check the place out anyway."

Jamie interrupts. "If Uncle Lou says anything to you, just let Kendall handle everything."

"Okay."

Carlos and Kendall jump out of the car and James climbs over the seat, looking back at Logan once. "I love you," he says.

"I know you do. I love you, too." Logan leans forward to kiss him. "Now go, we're just gonna talk. I promise."

When they're gone, Jamie comments, "You and I look really good together. Especially kissing."

Logan chuckles. "I knew it was a bad idea to put you two together." He settles back into the seat, Jamie pulling him close with an arm around his shoulders. "We shouldn't sit so close, the guys will freak."

"They can't see us right now, and I missed you." Jamie presses a kiss to Logan's forehead. "I understand if you didn't miss me, I mean you've got me right there with you all the time. He's so damn lucky."

Logan's eyes fall closed and he leans into Jamie, resting his head on Jamie's shoulder. "This was a bad idea," he says softly. "I can't come back here anymore. I was thinking maybe I could once in a while, just to see you guys, but..." He shakes his head.

"You did miss me, didn't you?"

"More than I realized. I love my James, he makes me happier than I've ever been, and I would go back to him again. Every time. I just...didn't realize how much I missed you, too. You two may look the same, but you're not. Different experiences have made you different people."

Jamie nods slowly. "I think it's best you don't come back, either. All I want to do right now is kiss you."

"Are we horrible people, James?"

Jamie shrugs. "Do you love him?"

"More than my life."

"And you're going back with him?"

"Of course. I wouldn't leave him again, I couldn't."

"I feel the same about Kendall, so I think we're fine."

"So things are good with Kendall? You two seemed pretty cozy in there when he showed up."

Jamie smiles. "Yeah, Kendall's great. He's not an asshole to me anymore, and I'm always at his house. His mom and Katie treat me like family. Carlos goes over there a lot, too. It's been good. If you'd never come here we wouldn't be like this. So thank you."

"Glad I could help," Logan grins. "I wanted to kill you two at the drive-in that night. And you should've seen my James with Kendall at the house. Before Kendall knew he wasn't you. I swear, you two are like water and oil, you just don't mix."

"Kendall was arguing with him, thinking he was me?"

"He was pissed because he showed up to find 'you' and me together. And then James taunted him and he staked his claim."

"What does that mean?"

"He kissed my James. You know how he is, he had to show me—and you—that you belong to him."

"What?" James sits up suddenly. "That asshole kissed my boyfriend?"

"Calm down, it didn't last long. I made sure of that. But you two are such shits, pushing Kendall's buttons all the time."

"He does the same to me. To your James too, I'm sure." Jamie settles back again, pulling Logan in to cuddle with him. "How long are you staying?"

"Not much longer. Thought about staying for dinner with the Knights, she invited me to, but how would we explain both of you? Or does she know everything now?"

"No, just Carlos and Katie know. I never told them anything about the twins thing, either. How we all have twins in the future. Though obviously they know now."

"Yeah."

"So you're not staying for dinner?"

"I don't think it's a good idea," Logan answers, lifting his face to Jamie's. "Because right now all I want to do is kiss you, too." He sighs as Jamie's fingers slide up into his hair.

"I would love to go back with you, just for a little while. See what it's like. But the more time I spend with you, the more I want you."

"Which is why we need to leave as soon as possible."

Jamie nods, pressing his lips to Logan's hair and having to be satisfied with that.

"I needed to know you two were happy together."

"We are. Honestly. Things are so good, Logan, we're like one big family, Carlos included. The only thing missing is you. You sure you don't want to stay?"

"Positive. I'd go crazy without my James."

"So bring him along. The two of you can live here, we can be long lost twins or something."

"You know that would never work. We'd all fight over each other. I can't stand to see the two of them together, keep wanting to drag James away from Kendall. He feels the same about you and me."

"So we all share," James murmurs against Logan's ear. "We could make that work, the four of us."

"Jesus, James!" Logan shudders at the vision, burying his face in James' neck. He likes that idea a little too much to even follow the thought any further.

"You're so cute."

"You just want to make out with yourself."

"It would be pretty amazing."

Logan laughs, finally scooting away from Jamie and putting distance between them. "We have a life there. With Carlos and Kendall. We're in a band together, kind of famous."

"A band? Like a singing group?"

"Exactly. That's how I knew you had an amazing voice. You were the one who wanted to be a star, got us all to move out to California from Minnesota. Though technically, Kendall made that happen."

"So we sing together? Perform on stages for people?"

"And dance. Hang on, let me show you something." Logan fumbles his way out of the seat, cursing old cars and their lack of backseat doors. He jogs into the drugstore to find the other three laughing, frowning slightly at how close Kendall and James are sitting. "Do you still have our last show on your phone? The one Katie filmed with it?"

"I have a couple songs. That's not gonna work here, is it?"

"It should. I want to show James what we do. You guys come on, too, you're gonna freak when you see this."

They all pile into the car again and James pulls up the video on his phone as they lean in to watch. There's the sound of screaming fans and then the place explodes as the band goes into "Famous."

"That's music?" Carlos asks. "What kind of music is that? It's so crazy! I love it!"

"Is that me?" Kendall asks, awestruck. "I sing like that?"

"Look at you," Jamie whispers. "You are so sexy up there, listen to the girls screaming for you!"

"And there you are," James says with a nudge to Carlos. "We're pretty much best buddies, you know."

"That is so cool! James, look at me! I'm a star!"

Jamie laughs and hugs Carlos to him. "We all are. I can't believe this. We're famous."

"Jamie," Kendall says softly. "It's your dream. You're living your dream. Listen to that golden voice."

Jamie reaches a hand out to take Kendall's with a proud smile. "Right next to you. I'm sure I couldn't do it without you. Even if I am with Logan in that time."

"It's true," James nods. "Kendall got it all started. Without him, we'd fall apart."

Kendall smiles at both Jameses. "Love you guys, too."

"That is amazing!" Carlos exclaims. "We should start our own group! I bet we can be famous, too!"

"That's probably a bad idea," Kendall says. "We can't be famous because then when they become famous it'll be weird. I mean, they have the same names. Besides, I just got that offer for a scholarship at UCLA. Though that wouldn't be for a few more years."

"You did?" Logan beams. "What sport?"

"Football. And baseball, but I turned that one down."

"What, no track and field?" James teases.

"What is your problem with track and field?" Kendall asks.

"It's just lame. What you guys really need to do is form a hockey team. We all kick ass at hockey. Even Logan, who doesn't have an athletic bone in his body."

"I am pretty good at hockey," Logan agrees.

"You mean ice hockey?" Carlos asks. "I've seen that, it's cool! You get to hit things with a stick."

Kendall laughs. "Sounds like your kind of sport, Carlitos."

"It's yours, too," James offers. "You are amazing on the ice, always made team captain. We had to give it up when we moved to Hollywood, but you miss it like crazy."

"What do you think?" Kendall asks Jamie. "Think we should give it a try? Find someplace to play, see if we can get a team started at the school?"

"I think watching you play hockey would make me want to spend the night at your place all the time."

Kendall grins. "Hockey it is. Though you should still work on your music. We've got that talent guy coming to the school next week."

Logan and James share a look. "Gustavo Rocque?" Logan asks.

"Yeah, he's in your time, too?"

James nods. "Kendall, make sure you go to that audition with James."

"I'd planned to."

"Good. He might need you there. Carlos, you're going, too?"

"Of course I am. Gotta cheer on my buddy."

"It probably won't work without the four of us all together," Logan comments. "Some things just don't. But you should still go."

"We'll see."

"Jamie, you're going. I'm making sure you get there."

"Okay, Kendall, okay. Just go with me."

"I said I would," Kendall answers. "Is there anything else on that phone? I want to see more of my boyfriend strutting on a stage."

James plays them the other two songs on the phone, "Any Kind of Guy" and "Worldwide." When that one finishes, Logan and Jamie share a long look before Logan says, "We need to go now."

Jamie nods. "I'll drive you to the hotel. That's where the machine is, right?"

"Yeah."

The drive is filled with talk of the "future" and what it's like in Logan and James' time, Kendall commenting that Katie will once again be pissed she missed out. He asks if they can stay a few more hours to see her, but Logan immediately shuts down that idea.

"What's your hurry to get home?" James asks. "I'd like to meet Mama K and Katie."

"And how do you explain that there are two of you? Mrs. Knight doesn't even know I'm from the future, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Yeah, I guess. Maybe we can come back sometime, though. Now that we know it works."

Jamie meets Logan's eyes in the rear view mirror and he knows they're both in agreement. They don't trust themselves enough to let that happen.

"It's like you said, James. I can't keep babysitting them. Either they make it or they don't."

"Oh, we're making it," Kendall says, grabbing Jamie's hand. "I'm not letting this one go again."

Jamie smiles and squeezes Kendall's hand. "You'd better not."

Once they get to the hotel, it's a chore to sneak down into the basement, but they do it as they do every tricky plan—with teamwork.

"You guys are lucky nobody saw this while you were gone," Carlos comments.

"Actually, we're lucky nobody comes down this way. Hey, I wonder if there's a Buddha Bob. And a Bitters."

"Most likely," James answers. "But I don't want to meet either of them."

"True." Logan hugs Kendall and Carlos, wishing them luck with hockey and with their partners.

"I don't need luck," Kendall replies. "I just need you gone. No offense."

Logan nods. "None taken. I'm feeling a bit of that myself. You two were sitting awfully close in that drugstore."

Kendall shrugs. "He's hot. And a damn good kisser."

"That he is. He says you are, too."

"He does?" Kendall lifts an eyebrow and glances over at James, who is saying goodbye to Carlos and Jamie.

"Don't even think about it," Logan warns.

"It's just weird. Seeing them both. And being in love with mine, but then yours comes along and he's so much like mine and..."

"Now you know how I feel, Kendall. It's hard to not love them both, isn't it?"

"I only spent about twenty minutes with yours, but...yeah. I get it."

"And if you spent more time with him, you'd end up kissing him. Though I want you to know we didn't kiss in the car."

"You wanted to, though?"

"Can you blame me?"

Kendall looks over at the two Jameses again and shakes his head. "Not at all. I'll tell you what. You can kiss mine goodbye if I can kiss yours goodbye. Just don't ever come back here again."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

It's so tempting. One last kiss from the James who haunts his dreams to this day. There's no question he loves his James and he wouldn't change anything, but one more taste of those lips wouldn't be wrong, would it? "Just one kiss?"

"Just one."

"I'm not sure my James would go for that. He's terrified I'll leave him for yours."

"I wouldn't let that happen. But what's the harm in one kiss?"

"Hey, Carlos," Logan calls out. "Can you keep a lookout for a minute? I need to talk to the guys about something before we go."

"You got it." Carlos wanders over to the stairs, making sure they're left alone.

"What's up?" James asks as the two of them step closer.

"Will you look at that?" Kendall comments in awe. "They're identical. And so beautiful it hurts."

Matching grins answer him. "We know," they say together, then laugh.

"Kendall wants to kiss you again," Logan says hesitantly to James, not sure how that's going to go over with either of them.

James blinks in surprise. "Really?"

Kendall bites his lip and nods, cringing as he looks at Jamie. "I'd let you kiss Logan once."

"Done," Jamie answers without a second thought. He steps up to Logan, but stops. "If uh...you're okay with that?" he asks James.

Logan watches him war with it, the fear there for a moment until Kendall speaks.

"I won't let it go too far," he promises. "And I'll make sure to distract you in the meantime."

James grins. "Logan, if you ever tell our Kendall about this, I'll kill you."

"It's our secret," Logan chuckles.

"And I think you two should kiss, too, since you're so hot to try it," Kendall comments to the Jameses.

Logan glances over with wide eyes.

"What? You know you want to see it."

With a blush, Logan shrugs.

James beams. "This is gonna be awesome. Come here, James."

Jamie swallows but steps closer. "This is so weird."

"But it's so hot," Kendall inserts.

"It really is," Logan agrees. "God, they're beautiful."

"He's right," Jamie says. "You are beautiful. The hair grew on me."

"Same here," James smiles. He leans in for a kiss, Jamie opening himself to it after getting used to the idea.

"Holy shit, that's insanely hot," Logan murmurs, unable to tear his eyes away.

"I think that image will be burned into my brain until I die," Kendall agrees. "You uh...sure you don't want to come back sometime?"

"Positive. All we'd ever do is make them kiss for us."

"Wonder what else we could make them do."

"Kendall!" Logan smacks him. "Okay, we really need to go."

"Come on, it's hot! Makes me wonder if I should kiss you, just to make it even."

Logan shakes his head. "No way. Sorry, but my feelings for you are not like that."

"Yeah, same here. You're cute, though. Just not my type."

"Exactly. And how would I ever face my Kendall again? Ugh, just no."

"I don't think they're ever gonna stop," Kendall comments with a frown.

Logan reaches out to pull Jamie toward him, breaking the kiss. "Come here. Now."

Jamie flies into his arms with a soft whine, kissing him hard and backing him up against the wall.

James watches in awe. "We're so sexy together. Look at that."

"I'd rather not, it upsets me. How about you kiss me instead?"

"I can do that." James copies his counterpart, backing Kendall up to the wall and kissing him hard. Kendall lifts James up against him with a groan.

Jamie finally steps back, letting Logan breathe. "Damn, I'm gonna miss you."

"I know. I'll miss you, too. I think we both will, actually."

"Still against that whole coming back and sharing idea?"

"I think I need to be." Logan kisses Jamie lightly. "Don't forget me," he whispers.

"Never."

James lets out a long sigh when their kiss runs out. "I'm never gonna be able to look at Kendall the same again when I get back."

"If you go for him, I'm coming back here without you," Logan threatens.

"I won't. It's different, we grew up together. We're like brothers, I could never kiss him like that. It would be gross. But this guy...I just met him. And he's hot."

Kendall laughs. "Well, thank you. I still prefer my Jamie, but you're not so bad yourself."

"You guys done over there?" Carlos calls out. "I think somebody's coming."

Logan grabs James' hand. "Come on, we have to get out of here."

"Carlos, it was a blast meeting you!" James yells.

"You too, buddy! Take care of Logan for us!"

"For sure! You take care of Kendall!"

"Excuse me, that's my job," Jamie inserts.

"Fine, take care of Jamie, then!"

"Got it!" Carlos answers. "Just go!"

They step in and Jamie leans in for one last peck on both sets of lips. "Love you guys. Be careful."

"You take care," Logan answers. "I'll miss you."

Jamie nods as Kendall steps up to wrap an arm around his waist.

"If you change your mind, we're always here," Kendall reminds them.

"Don't tempt me," Logan replies. "Now get out of here. Good luck with the hockey thing. And with Jamie's audition. Just make sure you're there."

"I will be."

James closes the door and turns to face Logan. "You sure about this? If seeing him again changed your mind, I get it. I'd hate it, and I'd be miserable without you, but I would understand."

"There's nothing I want more than to go home with you, James. I chose you then, and I choose you now. You're the one that I want. Every time."

"I love you."

"I know, babe. I love you, too." Logan glances back at Jamie and Kendall and sighs. "Why am I always making you cry?"

"Because you're so amazing we can't stand the thought of losing you."

Kendall hugs Jamie tight from behind. "I'm sorry. I know you love him."

"I love you more. I'm just gonna miss him."

"Yeah. I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy, Jamie."

"Aw, Kendall, you already do." Jamie turns to face his boyfriend, kissing him sweetly even as tears slide down his cheeks. "I wouldn't give you up for anything. Not even him."

Kendall's last vision of Logan is of James kissing him, and for the first time it doesn't bother him. He has what he wants, and he knows Logan does as well. It took them a while to figure that out, but as long as they got there, that's what matters.

"Everything in its time," he murmurs as the time machine disappears.


End file.
